


Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the deadliest of them all?

by alexxkun



Category: Far Cry 3
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Drugs, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Jason kinda liking it, Kidnapping, Love/Hate, M/M, Romance, Rook Islands, Vaas being an asshole, alternative universe, we all hate Mike
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-05-13 18:34:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 32,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5712817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexxkun/pseuds/alexxkun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vaas was tired of all the boring people Doug sent to him. He was tired of Rook and he was tired of Hoyt's constant nagging. Maybe it would be okay for just once to go and pick out people himself... After meeting Jason Brody Vaas has a feeling that life on Rook soon will get very exciting once again.</p><p>(I don't own the characters or the games, I only own a cookie and a glass of milk)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> So the first chapter I mainly wrote to just get to know the characters. I've decided that in the beginning Jason is quite weak I suppose but I promise you that he will evolve into something.... stronger. Hah c:  
> Well if the characters are too out of character I'm really sorry :c enjoy <3

“For Thailand!” Oliver called out and raised his glass to the sky. The other mimicked the movement and laughed. They had only been at the club for about 30 minutes, yet they had already drunk as much as they had the previous nights. Jason wasn’t too drunk yet but some of his friends hadn‘t been quite as lucky. Daisy, Jason’s friend and brother’s girlfriend, was as drunkenly happy as one could be and the same went for Oliver, who had just made a toast. Oliver was still a child in many ways, even though he was already 26. Maybe it was because of his father’s outrageously high salary and power that made young Carswell feel like he was invincible. But in the end, who could say?

Mike, Jason’s boyfriend, had begun scanning the bar for a new girl to prey on. Jason had stopped caring about his boyfriend cheating long ago, whenever he told him to stop or got sad it never turned to Jason’s benefit anyway. The previous - and last - time Jason had confronted his so called lover about it, he had gotten a black eye and a broken rib. The Brody boy was not prepared to face the consequences again. They had been in Bangkok for four days and Mike already had four dying for him, begging for him to choose them as his next partner for the night. He really was a player, even though he claimed to love Jason above everyone else.

When Mike had spotted the “perfect” girl - this one a busty blonde with matching blue, sparkling eyes a “sexy”, short, blue dress and a big butt - he got up from his seat with confidence. He acted like world was at his feet and he was the all ruling emperor. 

“Where are you going?” Grant, the oldest Brody boy, asked his younger brother’s incompetent boyfriend. None of the people in there small group had ever felt like Mike was a good guy for Jason, but apparently he made their innocent yet mature friend happy. In the end the friends had decided to let Mike join their small group and not bother about him - or at least that was until now.

“None of your damn business,” Mike replied angrily. He was not in the mood nor did he have the time to bother with his boyfriend’s annoying older brother. The blonde could be snatched away or disappear at any moment. If he didn’t act quick, maybe the Asian gentleman next to her would swoop in and take her away.

“You’re really gonna do this again?” Grant asked once again, rage building up within him. Mike was a good 6’1” with a strong upper body compared to Grant’s 5’11” and muscular torso. Grant, however, had been in the army and knew how to handle tough-guys like Mike.

“Grant, Mike, please…. Not now?” Jason pleaded to try and disrupt the fight that was about to start. They didn’t need more attention than their big group already had. A fight was the absolutely last thing they needed.

Mike gave off a small, harsh chuckled before turning around, showing his “friends” back. He was too good for the group anyway, Jason was the only reason he actually came with them to Thailand - and well, all the girls. He could barely remember why he had chosen Jason to start with but at the same time he knew that if he broke up with the younger man, his mother would force him to marry some boring rich girl. Michael Burningham refused to be tied down to one person for the rest of his life.

Jason stared emotionlessly at the scene in front of him. He couldn’t even fake that it didn’t bother him that his boyfriend fooled around with other girls. Sure, Jason wanted to get rid of Mike but it still hurt seeing the man who once meant the world to him flirting with someone else as he had done with Jason himself a year ago.

The oldest Brody boy glanced at his younger brother before turning his gaze to the game of charades on the dance floor. Mike talked to the girl and she laughed. He leaned in and whispered something in the girl's ear which made her blush and giggle again. Grant looked at his younger brother once again. The expression on his face was truly hard to describe. There was a slight smile on the young Brody’s lips, yet his eyes were filled with sorrow. He seemed so sad yet not at all. As if he had come to terms with a tragedy.

Liza broke the silence, stating what the rest of the group all thought but were too scared to actually say. “Jason… you really should break up with that guy.” Liza was Jason's ex-girlfriend as well as his current closest friend. They had dated for a while but realized they were better suited as friends. Liza was happy they were friends but sometimes she still secretly wished for more. Not that she would ever tell anyone.

“I know…” Jason said quietly. He bit his bottom lip slightly, trying not to look too weak in front of his friends and brothers. “But I can't live without him.” Now that wasn't a total lie. In fact Jason was so scared of what might happen if he tried to leave Mike that he didn't even consider it an option.

“I’m sorry, Jason, but I don’t think he feels the same,” Riley, the youngest of the three Brodys, said. He tried to put a bit of sympathy in his voice but in the end it only turned into annoyance. “And if he does, making out with that girl over there is a pretty dick way to show it.”

Keith pressed an elbow into Riley’s left side. Hitting right between a pair of ribs, Riley yelped in pain and surprise. “Hey, it’s true!” the youngest in the group complained. He glared daggers at his friend.

"Yeah but there was no need being so insensitive!" Daisy complained and glared at Riley. Daisy was a tough girl even though she looked like the sweetest Angel. Her hair was long and blonde though she almost always kept it in a bun on her head. Her eyes were an innocent deep blue to match the hair as well as her pale skin. She was about average in height and had a bit more muscle than most girls. She was Grant’s girlfriend and they fit perfectly together. Honestly, Jason was a bit jealous.

Jason shook his head, stopping Riley from continuing to defend himself. “No, it’s fine,” he said and a smile spread across his lips. It was forced and filled with pain but it was the best he could manage. “I already know the truth.”

Liza groaned loudly. She and Daisy were quite different, yet they were still the closest of friends. Liza had long, hazel hair that framed her face. Her eyes were the same as Daisy’s, deep ocean blue. The kind you lost yourself in if you stared for too long. She was a bit taler than Daisy but only by a few inches. She was a very determined person who never sugar-coated any bad news. Not even for Jason. “Jason you deserve much better! Just break up with him before he does!”

Jason didn’t feel like he had any real strength to continue arguing with his friends. He couldn't leave Mike in the end anyway, so what was the point in arguing? “Can we please just change the subject?” he asked quietly.

His older brother furrowed his brows in concern. He just wanted his younger brother to be happy. Grant had after all promised their father before he died that he would take care of his younger brothers, no matter what. “But Jason, you-”

Jason sighed for the tenth time that evening and got up from his seat with an awkwardly gesture. "I need a drink," he simply said and left the table. While he walked to the bar he could hear his friends call out his name behind him.


	2. Holding his Liquor

There was a single stool free at the bar. On the left side there sat a quite drunken native girl with black braided hair and a tribal tattoo on her bare arm. On his right sat another person talking to his friend. The person was a man in his late twenties with a small black Mohawk as a haircut. He didn't give off the same vibe the native's did yet something about him seemed strangely tribal. The man seemed about as tall as Jason but the Mohawk made him look slightly taller. His sunburnt upper body was covered in muscle, all visible beneath the red, ripped tank top he was wearing. Jason couldn't see the man's face but his back was stunning. 

The Brody boy walked over to the seat with as much confidence as he could muster and sat down between the Mohawk-guy and the native woman. 

"Two vodkas and a scotch," he told the bartender tiredly. It was gonna be a long night and hopefully he didn't have to deal with Mark's drunken behavior too much later. He was easily angered when drunk and an anger Mark was... Well... Not good for Jason's well being. 

"Coming right up," the bartender replied a bit too cheerfully for Jason's likening. The man - or boy - looked to be at least one fourth Asian though Jason did not know. He had a slightly Irish accent as well, and somehow that amused Jason. An Irishman working in a bar.... How stereotypical...  
The bartender was an inch or so taller than Jason. Curly short brown hair framed his face and made the blue in his green eyes shine. He was prettier than most people though this did not interest Jason. Maybe the man had been perfect for Him once, but now he was tied down by a jealous lover with no self control whatsoever.

While waiting for his drinks Jason tapped impatiently on the bar disk. He wanted to get drunk as soon as possible because there was no way he would be able to deal with his so-called lover without booze. 

"A guy who can hold his liquor?" The man next to the Brody brother asked. The Mohawk-guy had turned away from his friend in order to greet Jason. He had a small smirk on his lips to match his perfect Spanish accent. 

The man had a slight stubble on his chin, the same black color as his Mohawk, and piercing snake-eyes. There was a soft tone to the stranger's emerald eyes yet at the same time they were alert and ready to strike at any moment if needed. The intense stare and the feeling frightened Jason yet at the same time he felt excited and curious of what secrets those beautiful eyes may have hidden. There was an old, fading scar on the stranger's face. In a diagonal line it started on the top of his scalp, connected with his Mohawk, and cut down to his left eyebrow. Around his neck he wore a leather thread and a stone to match his perfect eyes. Jason wasn't sure of what kind of stone it was, however it looked like an old piece of jade. The person had a scary yet exciting atmosphere around him that somehow only made him even more exciting and mysteriously sexy in the young Brody's eyes. 

"Impressing, hermano," the stranger continued with a slight chuckled. His voice wasn't very deep but it still was as sexy as the man himself. Without realizing it Jason was slowly lured further and further into the stranger’s "trap".

Jason chuckled under his breath. He was suddenly quite dry in his mouth and not too sure what to say. "Hold his liquor as in trying to stun his emotions? Sure." He regretted the words as soon as they had left his treacherous lips.  
The other man laughed without any real amusement. Somehow it relieved Jason that the stranger had not made a big deal out of the younger man’s clumsiness 

"I'm Vaas," the stranger said and picked up the beer bottle in front of him from the bar counter. He tilted his head back slightly and took a sip before putting the bottle back down on the counter again. 

"Jason," the younger of the two answered quietly. There was a shy, embarrassed smile on his lips but it didn't bother Vaas. He in fact found it quite... Cute. "Jason Brody."

The bartender returned to the men with the drinks which Jason had ordered. Jason offered a thankful smile in return. 

"Jason..." Vaas said slowly as if he was weighing the name on the tip of his tongue, tasting it. "I like it."

Jason held back a chuckle and instead simply gave Vaas a sincere smile. It had been ages since he had smiled without it being forced. Jason's cheeks had since the start of the conversation begun changing to a slightly red tone. He had never been so relieved that the light's in a club changed color constantly. If they hadn’t, the older man would have seen Jason’s blush.

The Brody brother picked one of the smaller glass container from the bar counter. The vodka was clear and see through, he almost wanted to place it over his eye and study how the room would look through the liquid. He chuckled quietly at his own stupidity and threw his was back, letting the bitter drink be poured down his throat. It stung but Jason loved the feeling.

The man Vaas had been talking to earlier suddenly turned around to face the two talking men. He nudged the older man in the shoulder before talking to be sure he had his attention. 

"Boss," he said. The way he spoke showed respect yet fear at the same Time. The man was a few inches taller than Vaas and probably stronger as well. However there was something about the taller guy that made him feel... Softer compared to the Latino. Maybe it was his looks, muddy brown eyes and black curly hair that framed his face... Or was it his aura? However, Vaas was obviously far more superior than the taller man. 

Vaas snapped his head so he looked the taller man straight in the eyes. If Jason hadn't realized the seriousness about the Latino's actions he might had found it funny. 

"What?" Vaas asked, his teeth clenched. He seemed quite calm but he was not in the mood for his subordinate's shit. "Can't you see I'm having a fucking conversation, Carlos?”

“Carlos” swallowed hard. Vaas was not someone to be messed with, and he wasn’t afraid to show it off. When Carlos finally spoke, it was hushed. “Hoyt’s waiting.”

From where he sat Jason saw how Vaas suddenly tensed up with anger. His holders rose and fell rhythmically as he took deep breaths in order to calm himself and not scream at his subordinate. “Don't you think I already fuckin’ know that? Huh?!”

“I’m sorry, Vaas,” Carlos said quickly, trying hard not to stumble over the words as he said them. He seemed quite calm even though he spoke quickly, however Jason noticed the drops of sweat slowly forming on his forehead. 

Vaas’ shoulders relaxed slightly. His voice was still filled with hidden venom as he spoke but it was an improvement from his earlier outburst. “I’ll take care of you later.”

Jason took a sip of the scotch in front of him. The club sure was shady but no doubt they had good taste in alcohol. The whiskey burned in his throat but nonetheless tasted the way scotch should.

Vaas sighed. When he turned back to Jason the annoyance was still fully visible through his body language but he still tried sounding remotely… nice. “Well, hermano, me and my fucking idiot of a companion here have to leave.”

Jason tried to hide the disappointment he felt but Vaas, as bright as he sometimes was, saw through it and had a tiny idea. In a quick motion he grabbed Jason’s arm.

Startled by the man’s sudden moves Jason’s first instinct was to pull away. The man chuckled slightly and tightened his grip around Jason’s. He pulled up a pen from one of his pockets and began scribbling down numbers on Jason's arm. An embarrassed blush spread across the younger man’s cheeks. 

“If you ever feel like having some real fuckin’ fun,” Vaas said with a slight smile on his lips. “Call me and we’ll fuck some shit up.”

After writing down the last number on Jason’s pale wrist, Vaas gave Jason a grin. He seemed like a fun guy despite his dangerous aura. Hanging out with Vaas just once wouldn’t really hurt, right?

Jason was just about to answer Vaas when he got interrupted by someone else. 

“What the fuck do you think you're doing?”

The voice came from behind Jason. It seemed quite calm but the American wasn't stupid enough to believe in the tone. If something it only made him more scared.

Fear was fully visible on Jason’s face as he, slowly, turned around to face his angry boyfriend. Anger slowly built up inside Vaas. He hated being interrupted by people.

“U-um nothing,” Jason stuttered quietly. He was too afraid to say too much but in the end it proved it didn’t matter. The fist connecting with his nose was proof enough Mike already was furious.

The impact of the floor against his body almost hurt more than the fist to his nose. He still refused to cry out in pain, not wanting to “lose” against Mike. Though his voice was muffled by the music, Jason could hear his younger brother scream his name.

A few seconds later both Liza and Grant were at Jason’s side. While Grant stood up, screaming at Mike, Liza was sitting on the floor and trying to stop Jason’s nose from bleeding.

“What the fuck did you do that for!?” Grant screamed at the other man. He was shaking with fury. “He was just fucking talking to someone!”

“I’ll teach him something about cheating,” Mike growled at Grant. Jason belonged to Mike. He was NOT gonna fool around with other people

“Like You’re one to talk!” Liza screamed at Jason’s so-called boyfriend. She was, just like the rest of the group, sick of Mike and his girlfriends.

The rage in Mike’s eyes was only comparable to the flames of hell. While he spoke his voice however was cold as ice. “Liza you better move before I smack your face in too.”

“No! Please Mike don’t!” Jason almost screamed in desperation not to make his friend hurt. “Please I’ll do anything!”

“Shut up!” Mike screamed at Jason. He was sick and tired of Jason’s constant nagging and always and always telling him not to play with other girls. This time he was done for good.

Jason squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could while waiting for the next hit from Mike. After what seemed like an eternity there was finally the sound of impact and a scream. Neither came from Jason.

“What the FUCK man?!” Mike screamed as loud as he could. The club had gone silent, even the music had stopped playing. They were drawing too much attention.

After much consideration Jason slowly opened his eyes. He greeted the scene in front of him with surprise and honestly a little … pride.

Everyone was staring at the scene at the bar. On the floor Mike sat and covered his nose with both hands, above him Vaas stood looking furious. He reminded Jason of a snake, slowly closing in for the kill.

“I was having a FUCKIN conversation, motherfucker!” Vaas screamed at Mike. He was already pissed at Carlos for interrupting him and now this idiot? The fucker was gonna pay.

Mike didn’t reply, he just stared at the man in fully visible panic. His mouth went dry when he saw the raw anger on Vaas’ face. Who was he and why did he care about Jason?

The room was dead quiet except for someone’s occasional cough, Mike’s pained groans and Vaas’ heavy breathing. If people didn't already know who Vaas was and what he was capable of, they sure knew now.

“Boss,” Carlos said once again, breaking the silence. He knew his boss would get mad at him for interrupting but they had to leave.

Vaas spun around to glare daggers at his subordinate. Couldn't Carlos shut up for two fucking minutes? “What?!” Vaas demanded to know as he considered if he was gonna take care of Carlos now or when they got back.

Carlos began scratching the back of his head. He took a nervous breath before speaking. “Hoyt wanted to see you,” he said with as much confident he could muster. “Now.”

Vaas slammed his fist into the bar counter and screamed another curse. “Fuck!” He wasn't sure how much more of pleasing Hoyt he could take, though he didn't have any real saying in the matter.

Trying his best to collect himself, Vaas stood quiet for a moment. After a few seconds of breathing he finally stormed out of the bar, leaving the chaos and Jason behind. It didn’t really matter though, Vaas was positive they would meet again very soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit longer but oh well cx  
> Thank you thank you thank you for your feedback and kudos and comments and yeah for just plain reading <3  
> Felt like rewriting this chapter but I wanted to continue with the story as soon as possible so yeah.....  
> Sorry if it was bad ;-; I'll rewrite it later if anyone thinks it was too bad <3  
> Hope you enjoyed it <3


	3. Doug Stephenson

After Jason had turned to leave, the group just sat there in silence. No one really knew what to say in order to break the awkward silence.

Keith - who had mostly been quiet during the small outbreak between Jason, Mike and Grant - begun scratching the back of his head. He wasn’t very good at handling upset people and even worse at handling his friends when upset. He was a party boy, not a therapist.

“I’m heading to the bathroom,” Keith said and got up from his seat. He needed a bit of peace and quiet, away from his friends and the music. The group were his best friends, sure, but sometimes even Keith needed to be alone.

Finding the men’s room wasn’t a challenge, getting there through the crowd of people was. When Keith finally had made his way into the bathroom he just stood in front of the sink, staring at his own reflection in the mirror.

The young man turned on the waterflow of the sink and began splashing water in his face. It was hot in the nightclub, especially if you, like Keith did, wore a white button-up shirt and gray jeans. He liked dressing up nicely, even if it meant him getting varm. Keith was, however, not prepared for the heat of Bangkok.

He took a deep breath and fixed his hair in the mirror a bit. After deciding that he still looked good enough he nodded at himself in the mirror.

In the corner of his eye Keith could see someone exiting one of the bathroom stalls behind him. The man came up next to Keith and started washing his hands under the cold, running water of the sink.

“Warm night, huh?” the man said and chuckled at his own statement. He seemed like a fun guy so Keith couldn’t see any reason to not talk with him for a few minutes

“You don’t say,” Keith replied with playful sarcasm. He hadn’t encountered many people so far in Thailand that could speak English. The man in front of him did look American, though.

“I’m Doug Stephenson,” the man said as he and Keith shook hands. Doug’s hands were still slightly cold and humid from him washing them.

“Keith Ramsay,” Keith replied and returned Doug’s smile. Doug was wearing simple clothes; a red tank top, dark blue jeans and black sneakers - yet there was something interesting about him. His hair was short and black to match his big brown eyes. Doug looked to be as old as Keith, twentyseven, but he couldn’t be sure.

The two exited the bathroom and entered the crowd of people again. They walked over to stand at a table in one of the corners, a bit separated from the rest of the people in the building.

“For how long have you been in Bangkok?” Doug asked, breaking the ice. He was good at social situations so talking with Keith - a complete stranger - wasn’t a challenge. When you were a DJ like Doug, social skills were important.

Counting the days in his head, Keith hesitated before he answered. “Four days, I think,” he finally replied with a small smile. “And you?”

“Man, I live here!” Doug said cheerfully, a huge grin on his lips. “I’m one of the DJs here, as well as a guide for some of the English speaking tourists.”

“Really?” Keith asked, a mix of hope and surprise in his voice. Maybe Doug knew of some more extreme activities Keith and the rest could entertain themselves with? Jason and Vincent did have a thing for extreme sports.

“Yeah! If you need help with any exploring or anything, hit me up,” Doug said and picked up a pen and a piece of paper from his pocket. He began writing down a phone number and then handed the note to Keith.

“Woah, thanks man!” Keith said happily. Maybe this night was just turning for his benefit. “I was looking for a few extremer activities for me and my friends. You wouldn’t happen to have any suggestion?”

This was going _way_ better than Doug had expected. “Actually,” he said, a playful smile on his lips. “I might just have exactly what you’re looking for. I know this island where you can do _anything_... Just take a plane and parachute in. BAM!”

“Woah man, that’s just perfect!” Keith told him. He was sure his friends would be just as excited as he was, or the majority of them at least. “Just gonna tell my friends so we can set a date and time.”

Doug nodded. “Tomorrow I’m free most of the day if you’re up for it? I had someone call and cancel a few hours ago and I’m a busy man. Most times people have to book weeks in advance but you can have tomorrow if you want, I’ll even give you a good price!”

“Sounds awesome,” Keith replied and nodded as well. “I’ll go tell them right now if that’s-”

“JASON!” Keith’s voice was cut off by Riley’s screams for his older brother. Across the room he could see Grant and Liza run to the bar. The rest of the group seemed shocked and confused.

“What the fuck?” Keith asked quietly. The question wasn’t really aimed at anyone specific, yet aimed at everyone and everything at the same time. He turned to Doug again. “Hey, I’ll call you later tonight, okay?”

Keith left without any real answer from Doug. He had to find out what was going on with his friends. He began jogging back to his group, doing his best to get through the crowd quickly. As soon as he got back to the rest, he grabbed Vincent’s shoulder.

“What happened?” he asked his friend. Vincent seemed just as confused as Keith was but hopefully he knew a bit more about the whole situation.

Vincent shook his head. “I don’t- I don’t know man,” he answered, stumbling over the words. “Mike just appeared out of nowhere and punched Jason in the face.”

“He did WHAT?!” Keith shouted above the music. This was worse than he thought, Mike had stepped over the line.

Suddenly the music went quiet and everyone stared at the scene with Jason and Mike, except now another guy - one which Keith had never seen before - stood between the two. Mike was sitting on the floor, groaning, with his back to the group of friends.

“I was having a FUCKIN conversation, motherfucker!” the man was screaming at Mike. He was shaking with rage. Mike didn’t reply, he just sat there on the floor.

Another man stood up and said something to the first unknown man. Number one spun around and screamed in the taller man’s face. After a few seconds he screamed once more, slammed his fist in the bar counter and then disappeared through the exit, leaving chaos behind.

The rest of their small group hurried to their feet and ran over to Jason and the rest. They tried their best to excuse themselves when they accidentally stepped on someone’s feet while moving through the crowd but it was as if none noticed.

“We’re leaving,” Grant said strictly without hesitation. He grabbed Jason’s hand and pulled him to his feet before hugging him. “It’s fine now, little brother.”

Jason pushed away from his older brother and shook his head. “Let’s just go,” he said quietly. He hated the attention he was getting from the crowd. Why couldn't they just mind their own business?

Jason turned to the door that led out of the bar and began walking. Slowly the others followed him out into the hot tropical night. His nose was hurting from the punch, his foot was hurting from the fall and his heart was hurting from being embarrassed in front of so many people and from his fear of Mike. All he wanted to do now was to get back to the hotel and sleep and forget. If he was lucky maybe he had drunk enough to forget most of the evening.

*******

Jason couldn’t remember most of the trip back to the hotel. He knew they had taken a cab and he knew he had walked to his room on his own, but the rest was a blur. A mishmash of memories.

Jason lay in the big bed in the room. Mike would probably not be back in several hours so for the moment he was safe. He was on the verge of falling asleep when there was a slight knock on the door.

Sighing Jason got out of bed. He grabbed his t-shirt from the chair next to the desk and pulled it on before heading to the hotel room's door. On his way he caught sight of himself in the mirror above the desk. His nose was turning slightly blue already and it wouldn't come as a surprise if it was broken. He would have to take a look at it when they got home to California again.

Drawing his feet across the floor, he finally made it to the door. He slowly opened it to tiredly glare at the person on the other side of the door. Jason needed his sleep.

“Um hey,” Keith greeted him with a nervous laughter. Even he realized you shouldn't mess with a tired Jason. “I know You’re tired but, man, do I have good news!”

Interest was visibly appearing in Jason’s eyes as he took a step back, allowing Keith to enter his room. It was already quite messy in there with clothes here and there but Keith was already used to Jason’s lacking sense of order.

Keith sat down on the chair next to the desk before speaking, the same chair where Jason’s t-shirt had been moments earlier. “I met an English speaking Guide at the nightclub.”

“And?” Jason asked, not in the mood for dragged out explanations. There were multiple English speaking guides in Thailand, why was this one so special?

“He told me about this island where you can do anything you want. A basically empty island where we can spend the whole day tomorrow and do whatever - and the best part?” Keith said almost shaking with excitement. He was as thrilled as a kid on Christmas morning. Jason didn't often get to see his friend like this. “We can go tomorrow already and we get to parachute to get there!”

Now that seemed very tempting to Jason. He was longing for some adventure and thrill and this might just have been what he was looking for of just…. “Have you talked to the others yet?” He asked Keith. If the others had agreed, Jason was up for it no doubt.

Keith scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, about that…” he said nervously. “I was kinda hoping you could talk to them instead. They listen to you more than they do to me, and hey, you've got better control over Liza.”

Jason sighed. He was kind of tired of being the one who always had to take the responsibility for their trips but Keith was right. “Fine I’ll go talk to them. What time tomorrow do we leave?”

Keith picked up his phone and sent a text to Doug, asking about such things as time and place as well as other important information. A few minutes later Doug replied with all the necessary details.

“The plane leaves at half past twelve,” Keith replied and put his phone back into his pocket. He was excited for the morrow and could barely wait. It had been a while since he and his friends had done something challenging.

Jason nodded slowly. “Can you tell everyone to gather in your room? I’ll have a talk with them.” Mike wasn't back yet but Jason would have to try and deal with him when he was.

“Sure!” Keith said happily and walked to the door. Before walking out to the hallway he smiled at Jason once again. “I’m glad we did this trip.”

Jason nodded and returned his smile. “Despite everything so far, I’m happy too. We should do something more for Riley though. We’re here for his sake after all.”

The reason they had all went on a trip together was mainly to celebrate the youngest Brody-brother’s pilot license. He wanted them to go to Thailand to party so they did. They all did need a vacation anyway so they saw no major reason not to go.

Keith nodded and then disappeared into the darkness of the hallway, closing the door behind him. The silence that followed was nice yet empty at the same time. He had gotten used to being alone but it still felt so lonely at times.

The group had decided to divide up in separate rooms when they first got to the hotel. Mike and Jason shared rooms, Oliver, Vincent, Riley and Keith shared rooms, Daisy and Grant shared and Liza had her own. She prefered having a place where she could be alone and therefore wanted her own room, not that anyone minded.

Jason let a few minutes pass before he turned the lights off in his room, grabbed his keycard from the bedside table and entered the cool corridor. Keith and the others’ room were just down the hallway. It took Jason less than a minute to get to the door.

From the outside he could hear tired voices complaining. Jason sighed before giving the door a slight knock. He then stood and waited for someone to open the door. After a minute or so the door handle was turned and Jason received a huge smile from Oliver.

“Yo man!” he said and threw his arms around Jason. Right now, Oliver was just happy his friend hadn’t been hurt too badly by his boyfriend. “Come on in.”

Jason chuckled a bit. Oliver always knew how to cheer him up, they had been best friends for a long time after all. “Thanks, bro,” Jason replied. He felt so much more relaxed when Mike wasn’t there, so… free. “Have Keith told you yet?”

Oliver moved out of the way so Jason could enter the huge hotel room. “Told us what?” he asked, confusion obvious on his face.

Jason gave him a playful smile. Everyone had gathered in the room. On one of the double beds Vincent, Keith and Liza sat while Grant and Daisy sat on one of the other. Riley sat in an armchair in the corner of the room. Closing the door behind Jason, Oliver went to take a seat on a chair a few feet away from Riley.

Looking at each and every person in the room before speaking, he took a deep breath. “Tomorrow my friends,” he said, trying his best to create some suspense. “We are going parachuting to an epic island where we can do whatever… the fuck… we want!” Jason, the party boy and thrill-seeker, had been gone for some time but he was back. Oh was he back...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter might be a bit bad because i kind of wrote it in a hurry, just wanting to get it out there... If you find it too bad/out of character just tell me and I'll rewrite it <3  
> I promise they will be getting to the island in the next few chapters! *chuckles*  
> Thank you for reading! I'll try updating again soon! <3


	4. Drama Queen

“Hell yeah!” Vincent said and high fived with Riley. The two grinned at each other. “This is gonna be epic, man!”

“Heck yeah! Just soaring through the skies, feeling like the world's in our hands,” Riley imagined, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “I can't wait!”

He seemed to get positive reactions from everybody. They all cheered and threw their hands in the air. They seemed so happy and amazed. All except Liza.

“Jason…” she said impatiently. She had crossed her arms over her chest and looked quite pissed honestly. Why Jason did not know. “Could I have a word with you? Outside?”

Jason was confused but just shrugged and nodded anyway. “Yeah, sure,” he said. He walked over to the door and held it open for Liza.

“Thanks,” she murmured as she slid through the doors opening with as much skill and precision as a feline animal. She seemed kind of tense but Jason was sure it was nothing.

After closing the door behind him Jason turned to face Liza. “What's wrong?” he asked her, a small smile still playing on his lips. What could be so wrong to make her this annoyed?

Liza sighed and shook her head, trying to collect her thoughts. “I told you two nights ago I can't go with you on any activities after tomorrow,” she said quietly, trying her best to not get too upset. “I mean I'm pretty sure you're planning on sleeping on the island since it's in the middle of nowhere.”

“What?” Jason asked, even more confused. He had never heard of this earlier, what was she talking about? “What do you mean ‘you can't go’?” He was starting to get annoyed at Liza for not just saying what was wrong instead of hinting at it.

She groaned loudly. “I have to practice for my audition, Jason!” she said, frustrated. She was tired of being a some sort of mom for the group and that none else took any real responsibility.

Suddenly it all came back to Jason. They had had a similar argument a few days ago about the nightclub. Liza had to practice but everyone wanted to party. He felt kinda guilty about it but he still wanted her to come with them.

“Okay, I’m _really_ sorry about that, Liza. I know your acting’s important to you,” Jason apologized. He was sincerely sorry about forgetting but he still really wanted to parachute, especially if Liza would come with them. “but please… Just one more day of fun and then you can do whatever you want.”

Liza sighed heavily. “No, Jason, I can’t,” she said and shook her head. “I need to practice. I don’t have time for playing around.”

“Please, Liza,” Jason kept on pleading. “Just one more day, if not for Riley do it for me. I really want you to come with us on this. You're my best friend and I want to share the experience of the island with you. Please.”

Biting her lip she thought about her options. One more day of fun wouldn't hurt, right? She almost knew all of her lines by hand already… she could always go up extra early in the morning to practice instead... “Fine,” Liza replied and shook her head. “One more day, but that’s it!”

Jason threw his arms around her neck. She truly was the best friend he could ever wish for. “Thank you,” he whispered in her ear and squeezed her small frame.

Liza was a bit surprised by the hug but she hugged Jason back anyway. It had been a while since they really bonded over anything. Deep down she knew that she would have come to regret it if she hadn't decided to go with them. However, she still couldn't shake of the feeling that something bad would happen.

***

When Jason woke up in the morning Mike was still gone. He sat up and looked around the room but couldn't find any real evidence that he had been there. It kind of hurt not knowing where he was but Jason decided not to think too much about it.

He tried to stifle a yawn but to no success and then rubbed his tired eyes. He reached for his phone on the bedside table to see what time it was.

He had a missed call from Mike and two texts reading “Sorry about the nightclub, don't wait up” and the next “Sleeping at Crystal’s. Love ya”. It kind of hurt knowing that he had spent the night with some other person, but he had at least apologized to Jason. Sort of.

Shaking his head Jason finally replied to the texts. He told Mike about Doug and explained that they were all going parachuting, him including. Before sending the text Jason added the address to where they were going and threw his phone on the cover next to him.

With a minor sigh he got out of bed. He had slept in nothing but his boxers so getting dressed didn't take too long. Jason had a slight headache from the night before but he refused to let it stop him. He had about an hour to get ready before they had to leave and it would take them about twenty minutes by bus to get to Doug. It was nice not having to hurry every now and then.

Opening his suitcase on the floor, Jason grabbed a baby blue t-shirt and a pair of outdoorsy khaki pants. He grabbed a black and red belt as well and wrapped it around the pants, through the belt loops. He tied his shoes quickly and was pretty much done with his morning routine.

He grabbed the bag where he stored his bathroom necessities and walked into the bathroom. Opening the small bag, Jason grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste to brush his teeth. He wanted to look good when meeting Mike again, regretting their fight from the night before.

Since they would probably sleeping without a tent, beneath the open sky Jason didn't take too much stuff with him. He stuffed a pillow, a portable phone charger, bathing shorts and an extra t-shirt in his backpack and he was basically ready to go.

He walked into the hotel hallway, locking the door to his room behind him, and began moving toward the elevator. He had about another 40 minutes before they had to leave so he could eat breakfast in peace. Jason had always enjoyed taking it easy in the mornings. It was a great way to start of the day.

He rode the elevator down to the lobby, the same floor where they served breakfast, and followed the smell of food. After a few lefts and rights the smell of eggs and bacon grew stronger and he had soon found the dining area of the hotel.

The breakfast buffet was quite impressing. There was everything you could imagine, from bacon to pancakes to cereal to fresh fruit. Jason wasn’t too fond of breakfast, though, so he ended up with a small plate with some scrambled eggs, a few slices of bacon and some coffee. In his eyes, the perfect breakfast or brunch.

***

The eight friends met up in the lobby about ten minutes before they had to leave for the bus. The others also had a bag or some sort of purse each where they had packed their necessary belongings such as a wallet or a phone and a first aid kit. They were prepared for most things, although they hoped everything would go as planned. Jason was a bit scared that Liza’s old fear of heights would act up again but except that, they were all set.

Walking to the bus station only took them a few minutes and since they had fun the time went by even faster. They were all quite excited for the trip. It had been a while since they had done something thrilling together so they all had high hopes.

“How is our day looking?” Jason asked Keith cheerfully, whom had the best – and only – contact with Doug. It had seemed like the two had bonded quite a bit the night at the bar so Keith didn’t really mind being in charge of the communication between the group and the guide.

“Hm…” Keith murmured and looked through numerous texts from Doug. He knew the schedule was there somewhere… aha! Keith cleared his through before speaking. “After arriving we’ll set up camp. Then we can pretty much do whatever we want until about seven o’clock when we’ll set up a camp fire and have fun. We’ll be making dinner at about seven thirty and then it’s up to us. A boat will be coming to pick us up at two pm tomorrow so we better be ready by then.”

Jason nodded and made a mental note about the schedule. He had to remember to set an alarm on his phone before he went to sleep so he could guarantee that he and the others woke up in time for the boat to get them. He was sure someone else would set an alarm as well but it was better being safe than sorry.

”I hope you all have brought bathing suits because Doug told me about these amazing spots to dive and swim,” Keith said and chuckled. He was really excited about being a some sort of leader or host for the group. It was always Grant or Jason who was in charge but for once Keith was the introduced – and he loved it.

The friends all cheered and gave each other high fives and what not. In the distance they could slowly see the bus approaching them and they all started digging in their bags or pockets for tickets. Before Jason got on the bus he pulled up his phone and sent a text to the number Vaas had given him.

 _Thanks for standing up for me last night. Really appreciated it /Jason_. It wasn’t a very long text but he figured it was enough. Vaas seemed like a good person even though his temper was a bit… out of the ordinary. Thanking him for defending Jason was the only thing he could do. It was the right thing to do.

While Jason got on the bus and showed his ticket to the driver he felt his phone in his pocket vibrate, notifying him of a new message. A small smile spread across Jason’s lips but he didn’t pick his phone up to read the text until he got seated.

It was a short message but it was all it took to give Jason a bit of butterflies. What was going on with him? _No problem, Hermano. I’m here for you /Vaas_. Somehow it really felt link Vaas would protect him if something happened and it made Jason feel kind of secure.

Liza – who was sitting next to Jason – questioned the smile spreading on Jason’s lips but in the end she didn’t say anything. As long as he was happy it didn’t really matter why. Just being allowed to be Jason’s friend was satisfying enough for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter <3 sorry for not updating yesterday but I had kind of a writer's block :c if you find any faults with this chapter please let me know and I'll fix them <3  
> Thank you for reading and I promise you they will get to the island in the next chapter or the one after that *laughs*  
> It's a bit short so sorry about that :c  
> Thank you for reading and commenting and kudos <3


	5. Hills and Slopes

The building Doug had told them to meet him at really was in the middle of nowhere. After meeting up with Doug and Mike – who surprisingly showed up – at the station they had to walk for about thirty minutes. The station was a fair bit above the ocean, built on slopes. There were just hills and grass everywhere. It was so… peaceful.

They all said hi to Doug and those who hadn’t met him introduced themselves. Soon everyone were talking and laughing like they had been friends for ages, except Mike. Maybe he felt bad for hitting Jason or maybe he was just mad because he made a fool of himself. Mike’s silence was never good but not knowing how to deal with him, Jason just pretended he hadn’t noticed.

After a about fifteen minutes into the walk Doug turned around, still walking but backwards instead. “Okay people!” he said, a huge grin spreading across his lips. “I have a lot planned for us today!”

The group cheered. Each of them all had a slight hangover but they refused to let it stop them. They were about to have the time of their lives and passing up on that would be the most stupid thing in a long time.

Doug cleared his throat before continuing. “We’ll take the plane that’s waiting for us back at the ‘office’. After getting close enough to the island we’ll jump and then we can go explore the area, alright? I know the island like the palm of my hand so if you just stick to me you’ll be fine.”

Everyone thought it sounded like a good plan. Daisy, however, couldn’t help but notice the hint of nervousness in Doug’s voice. “What dangers are on the island? There must be something, right?”

For a second Doug froze. He couldn’t let the group know about _them_ just yet... “Oh! Uh… just a few Tigers and… bears… you know, the usual,” he laughed a bit. Hopefully that was enough for them. “But not to worry! I have the best bodyguard in the country who’ll meet us up at the island so we’ll be fine.”

It was an answer satisfyingly enough for Daisy but she still sensed something was out of the ordinary. Something was wrong. In the end she decided to try and shake the feeling off. They’d all be fine and back by early evening the next day. For the moment she was just going to enjoy Keith’s and Jason’s crazy little plan and have fun.

They continued walking for a few more minutes. Soon, in the distance, they could see a shack-like building. It was big and gray with a metal roof and no visible windows. It had huge steel doors on the front and an airplane seemed to be standing next to it. The building was quite dull though knowing they wouldn’t be spending any real time in it, it didn’t really bother Jason.

Mike suddenly put his hand on Jason’s shoulder, startling the shorter man. They hadn’t really said anything to each other up until that point. Mike didn’t really, for the moment, care that he scared Jason. He just wanted to apologize. “I’m really sorry about yesterday,” he said, trying to sound sincere. Jason knew it was so just temporary guilt but he decided to accept the apology – again.

The smaller man shook his head. “It’s fine, Mike,” he said and smiled slightly. His nose was still kind of swollen and starting to turn purple but Jason was sure he was fine. He wouldn’t get anywhere by not accepting Mike’s apology anyway.

Mike nodded. Not trying to continue the conversation. Maybe he really did feel really bad about hurting Jason… It wasn’t the first time he had punched his boyfriend but perhaps this time he had learned that it wasn’t okay.

They got to the gray building and stopped. Doug started opening one of the big doors as he spoke. “In here you’ll each be given one outfit to jump in, a parachute, a helmet with an inbuilt mic and headphones as well as a small pocket knife – in case of emergencies. Sounds good?”

No one seemed to object so Doug took it as everyone had understood. He held the door open for the rest of the group to walk in. When they had all entered the building he went in as well and closed the door behind them.

The inside of the building wasn’t as fully dull as the outside but it still wasn’t inviting. The building was made up of at least four rooms; a women’s changing room and bathroom, a men’s changing room and bathroom, a small store and another room, probably used for storage. In the store a quite big man was sitting behind the counter. Around him there were tons of things for sale, from helmets to fishing rods. Doug walked down over and began talking to him. After a minute he returned with a few pens and a pile of papers.

“Before we get ready you just need to sign a few things,” he said and began handing out papers to each and everyone as well as a pen. “Just stuff like if you get hurt we can’t be held responsible and you pay for any damage or loss to the equipment.”

Without really reading any of the contracts they all began signing. Vincent did an overlook on some of the papers but decided that everything looked to be in order. After a few minutes they had all signed the papers and began handing them to Doug again.

Nodding a “Thanks” Doug collected the signed contracts and walked over to the person behind the counter again. He handed everything over and they exchanged a few words before Doug returned to the group, once again.

“Over there we have all our equipment,” Doug said and pointed at a wall filled with gear for parachuting. There were suits, backpacks, helmets. Almost everything you could think of. “Pick out the correct sizes and then get changed over there in the men’s or ladies’ bathroom.”

“What about the fee for everything?” Grant asked confused. “What do we owe you and when and where do we pay?” It was kind of odd that hey hadn’t heard any money talk yet. Shouldn’t Doug be pressing them about paying at that moment?

Doug chuckled and shook his head. “Nah,” He said, a smile still playing on his lips. “You pay after we get back with the boat. That way you can also give us pointers on what was good and bad with the trip, and so on.”

Grant nodded and seemed satisfied with the answer. “That makes sense…” he murmured. It wasn’t really directed at anyone but he still felt like it needed to be said.

***

It wasn’t a very big aircraft they would be jumping from. Jason and the others could barely fit inside but it would have to work, they would soon leave the plane anyway. The pilots were two other men working at the so-called “office”. Jason didn’t really see what they looked like but Doug had told the group that the pilots were experienced and they didn’t need to worry about anything.

Doug looked at each person before speaking. “First Oliver will jump, then Vincent, Keith, Daisy, Liza, Riley, Grant, Mike, Jason and last but not least, me,” he said and made sure everyone understood. “When you get to the ground head to the old boat by the shore and we’ll meet up there. It’s hard to miss.”

Ollie got up from his seat and prepared himself for the jump. “Okay I’m ready whenever you are,” he told Doug and smiled brightly. Oliver never did seem scared of anything – or maybe it was just the weed talking.

Doug laughed but nodded eventually and began making signs with his fingers as he spoke. “One…. Two…. Three… NOW! Jump, jump, jump!”

One after another we all launched ourselves out of the airplane. The view was beautiful, the feeling of the cold air against their skin was amazing and the illusion of flying made them feel like they were on the top of the world.

Jason was soaring a few feet from Grant, yet close enough for them to touch. He grabbed his older brother’s arm to get his attention. Jason grinned brightly at Grant.

“This is awesome!” he yelled above the sound of the rushing air. He felt like he was invincible, like nothing could stop him. His heart was beating faster than ever , his pulse sky-high. He felt amazing.

“You said it, Jas!” Grant yelled back and laughed. Even though they had their disputes and didn’t always share the same opinion about things they were still brothers and loved each other.

Pulling on a strap on his bag Jason’s parachute opened up to stop his fall. He began floating instead of falling and saw his friends, one at a time, pull on the strap as well. Soon they were all being slowly dropped onto the ground.

From his point of view Jason could almost see the whole island. There was jungle and beaches covering the whole island. Neither was there any real sign of life except for the occasional radio tower and a small village. There also seemed to be an abandoned mansion on top of a small mountain, but Jason wasn’t sure.

He glanced over at Liza, who was floating a few feet next to him. She was a bit scared of being so high of the ground but Jason could see how happy and excited she actually was. He knew she would like it even though she would be scared. The view and experience was too rare to miss.

Even Mike seemed to be enjoying himself. He hadn’t looked happier in a long time. Pure amazement was written all over his face and his body language showed how excited, yet a bit scared, he was. It made him glad seeing Mike sincerely happy because of something Jason partly had arranged.

“I’m the king of the world!” Riley shouted and cheered. Not in his wildest dreams had he imagined he would be celebrating getting his pilot license with his friends in Thailand. He hadn’t spent time with his friends and brothers in a good while so going on vacation with them felt wonderful. Right then in that moment he felt like nothing could stop him. Nothing could bring him down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of late, I know and I'm sorry :c not really happy with the chapter, it's quite boring but hey, at least they're on the island now hahaha c: thank you for reading, starting on the new chapter as quickly as possible and hope you enjoyed the story so far, thank you <3


	6. reflections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi sorry about the late update everyone:c had a lot on my mind and wasn't really sure how I wanted to write this chapter haha but it's finally done!! c: please read and enjoy ♡ sorry about any grammar mistakes or anything like that, please tell me what I can improve ♡ have fun reading ♡

They all stood on the shore of the beach. The ocean was glistening in the sun, like the sea was made out of diamonds. The sand beneath their feet was pure white as pearls, or maybe even freshly fallen snow on Christmas morning. It was soft and hot between their toes except for the occasional tiny rock or seashell they accidentally stepped on. The cool waves reached out to where they stood every now and then and let its cold water wash over their feet. A salty smell lingered in the air mixed in together with the sweet scent of the sambuca shots they each held in their hands.

Grant raised his glass to the sky. The sun shed its rays through the transparent liquid and created a some sort of rainbow on the ground. “To my brother Riley for getting his pilot's license!” he called out in a toast for the youngest Brody. The lukewarm alcohol burned when he threw his head back, letting the liquid slowly drip down his throat. He hadn’t drunk the Italian drink in about seven years but once again he had fallen in love with it’s sweet yet spicy, rich elder flowery taste.

“To Riley,” Jason agreed and he too threw his head back and swallowed the strong alcohol. He let the taste linger on his tongue for a second before he spoke again. He had really enjoyed the shot, like the rest of the group, though he had also come to realize he would probably grow tired of its taste in a few days. Such a shame. “The best younger brother and partner in crime out there!”

Handing his small glass back to Doug Jason turned around to walk over to the small boat wreckage further down the shore. He held his shoes in one hand as he walked. He had had the shoes for a while and they were starting to get a bit worn out with a tiny hole in the dark fabric here and there. They were still usable however so it hadn’t really bother Jason so far about his shoes slowly falling apart.

The old boat was standing in the shadow of a big palm tree. The rusty old thing looked really out of place on the island where it stood. There was mostly a wreckage left of the boat. The middle part was completely missing, broken down into pieces and scattered around, and the front and back were broken down by rust. The color reminded Jason of dried out blood because of the iron.

Slowly, making sure he wouldn’t suddenly fall down, Jason tried climbing up on the front of the boat. He grabbed the reeling, slippery with… well, something. He was on the verge of losing his grip but quickly took a new hold and managed to climb onto the deck. Grinning at his friends, who were slowly making their way over to him, Jason threw his fists in the air. “I’m the king of the world!” he screamed and laughed.

“Don’t get too cocky, Jas!” Daisy shouted and began running towards him. She threw her shoes to Grant who barely caught them, one hitting his cheek. Daisy was small but faster than any other girl. On her way to the old wreckage her feet barely made footsteps in the sand, as if she was only touching the ground with the absolute tip of her toes. She giggled at Grant and as she apologized for the shoe, never really stopping in her sprint.

Gracefully she made her way onto the ship, slipping between the reeling like a gymnast. She was quite agile with her small body, despite her strength and muscle. Daisy had been a swimmers ever since Grant and she first met so the fact that she knew how to bend her body shouldn’t have been a surprise to Jason. Careful not to slip, she held onto the side of the boat as she climbed the few feet to the floor where we Jason was standing. Jason bent down, offering his hand to Daisy to climb up, though she just laughed at him and shook her head. In a second she stood up next to him.

“You’re the king of what, now?” she teased and playfully pushed him. She was about a head shorter than Jason but almost as strong as him. He had learned over the years through the hard way that one should never mess with Daisy – not even in a joking manor.

“Nothing, your highness,” Jason apologized, bowing down to Daisy. He looked up at her from his point of view, a smile playing on his lips. Daisy returned the smile with a more superior one, her blue eyes sparkling secretly. Jason wouldn't lie, Daisy had a pair of the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. When she was angry they would be the color of the night sky during a storm, light reflecting in the iris like lightning. When she was happy they were baby blue, as if someone had stolen pieces of the sky and hid them in her eyes.

“Jas, stop flirting with the little lady,” Keith said jokingly. Jason turned to look at him for a second, seriousness reflected in his eyes. Keith was wearing black khaki pants, rolled up to his knees to not get sand or water splashed on them. To match his fancy pants he wore a pure white button-up shirt with it’s sleeved also rolled up, these to his elbows. Under the button up he had a gray tank top which, if you looked close enough, you could see through the shirt. He also had put on a black wristwatch around his left wrist and a some sort of native-looking necklace around his neck. He was holding his black sneakers in one of his hands and had been walking barefoot ever since they got to the island, like most of the others.

For some reason Mike didn't really react to Keith saying Jason flirted with someone else, which struck Jason as odd. The only real reaction the statement achieved was an angry look. Why wasn't he freaking out, running after Jason to beat him up? Jason shot a questioning look in Mike’s direction, but his boyfriend refused to meet his eyes. The way the sun reflected in the brown, hazel, of his eyes made him look sad. Jason had to remember to ask him when they were alone what was wrong. He hated seeing his boyfriend angry but he hated even more seeing Mike sad.

The rest of the group had gathered next to the ship. Grant leant against the boat’s side, not realizing his red t-shirt got covered in the orange-brown rusty color. It wouldn't be very visible against the color of the fabric but it would still dirty it down. Doug chuckled at Grant’s carelessness and then clasped his hands together, making everyone turn their attention to him. “Okay,” he said and smiled at each and every one of the others with his kind, chocolate eyes before continuing. “I was thinking we’d go explore the island and see if we can find something to entertain ourselves with and later, in five hours or so, set up a camp here somewhere close to the beach. Then when you feel like it we can start a fire and cook dinner.”

“Sounds good,” Vincent said, a lazy grin on his face. He watched as Daisy climbed down from the wreckage, as agile as she had gotten on it. She grabbed the reeling and slowly lowered herself down, making sure not to fall or slip. The young woman looked like a dancer the way she moved, gracefully jumping down on the ground just to land in a perfect crouching position.

While the group applauded for Daisy, appreciating her talents, Jason tried mimicking her movement. He scoffed, if she could do it so could he, right? The Brody boy grabbed a hold of the reeling and began lowering himself down, the metal bar slippery between his fingers. He should had expected it when he lost his grip around the cold steel. He should had expected the feeling of falling to the ground, the wind rushing past him, and he should _definitely_ had expected his face hitting the sand on the ground below, his mouth filling up with the tiny rocks. 

The other’s laughter was something he was used to by then. He was a bit clumsy, sure, but he still was the center of the group. They all loved him - even if they sometimes laughed or made fun of him. He was their beloved friend and younger brother after all, even if they weren’t all bound by blood they were family.

Stifling a laughter, Doug shook his head. He was used to silly tourists but this? Jason had just taken the prize in clumsiness. He coughed a bit before continuing his small speech, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he did. “Should we get going people?” He asked, offering Jason help up from the ground. Jason accepted the offer and stood up with the help of Doug’s hand and support. “I know this _great_ diving spot, just about half a mile or so away from here.”

***

The water was cool against Liza’s skin and face. She hadn’t gone for a swim out in the open like that in years, especially not on an abandoned island. The group was swimming in a lake in a small clearing they had found. Doug wasn’t joking about the great diving spot. The water was bright blue, reflecting the sunlight in a manner not Liza nor any of the others’ had ever seen. It was clear enough to see through yet mysteriously hiding the very bottom, about twenty feet below them. It was quite warm in the water as well, no doubt due to the tropical weather of Thailand. The sun heated up everything around them yet it wasn’t hot enough for the group to just lay around and weep in the heat.

Surrounding them there were stone walls leading up to a small waterfall, a new clearing behind it. About fifteen minutes earlier Grant and Daisy had found it and entered to do God-knows-what, and frankly Liza had no intention to find out. The rest of her friends were either already playing around in the water or getting ready to do just that. Oliver splashed water on Vincent and Keith was playfully bullying Riley, pushing him under the water’s surface. Mike and Doug were sitting on a pair of boulders a few feet away from the waterfall, talking. Liza couldn't hear the conversation over the sound of splashing aqua but she was use it was nothing important. She didn't like eavesdropping anyway. She glanced over at Jason who was changing into swimming trunks behind a few trees in the opening of the clearing. His muscles glowed in the sunlight, small droplets of sweat forming on his chest, like crystals they glistened on his skin. Getting lost in Jason’s beauty she had a hard time noticing when his eyes met hers, those perfect emerald pools of-

Embarrassed she turned her head away from Jason, a slight blush spreading across her cheeks. She was happy about still being able to be his friend, sure, but getting rid of feelings for someone you had dated for years was rough. Every time she saw her loved one being close to his boyfriend, every time she saw Jason hurt and every time she was even close to him the pain was agonizing. Liza missed being called “his”. She missed being told “I love you” by a person she cared about in that manner. Saying she was not happy about being Jason’s friend would be a lie - but at the same time a part of her wished for more.

Jason chuckled a bit, blush spreading across his face and neck. Ever since he was a small child whenever he blushed it would quickly spread to his neck and chest, like a rash. He had quite sensitive skin even though he was manly in most eyes. However, who really had the right to tell him he had to be strong and “cool” or not? For all he cared he just wanted to be happy and with the people he loved, if that meant he was a bit girly or feminine so what? Ever since he had come out of the closet one year earlier some people had decided it was their business to correct him in what he did or how he acted. They called him a “pussy”. A “sissy” for not being attracted to girls. Jason couldn't however have cared less about them and their opinions. He didn't care if he hurt them or if they got annoyed at him. He didn't mind hearing their disapproving words or disgusted looks - except his mother's.

Jason shook his head furiously. He refused to remember that day, he refused to repeat the words she said and her emotions in his head. That was a part of the past and his mother had already gotten over it so why bother? Or at least she told him she was over it. Deep down he just wanted to make his parents proud of him again, he wanted them to love him as much as they loved their other sons, the way they did before.

The leafs around him parted as he walked through them. When rubbing together they made strange noises as if you were to rub two pieces of plastic against each other. Jason had never heard that kind of sound in the wild before nor never by plants. Being sneaky in the jungle was harder than he had originally thought by the sounds he made as getting down to the water. He stepped on sticks that cracked by his weight, walked too close to a tree so it's leafs started to rustle, not to mention the sounds he made when stepping into the small watering hole, slipping on a few rocks and falling straight into the water. The reflection of trees in the water was abruptly destroyed as small waves covered the surface after Jason’s small accident. It was not a good day for Jason.

Riley’s laughter rang out through the clearing. He knew his brother was quite the klutz but this? It was the second time that day Jason messed up badly and it was just getting better and better. There was no way Liza nor any of the others would think he was cool after his incidents during the day. Riley loved his brother, that wasn't the case, but sometimes he was just …. Too much. He was always the center of attention, the so called leader of the group, and no one else ever got any credit for things. It was always “Jason this” or “Jason that”; it was never about Riley nor any of the others. Sometimes he just wanted people to tell him he did a good job. That he was a great part of the group. Riley felt like the only reason they had let him tag along was because they were celebrating his license - yet his brothers were the ones getting all of the attention.

“Great job, Jason!” Keith laughed, clasping a hand over his chest in order to calm down. He decided soon to so top fighting against his amusement and fell over, making the water splash over both Vincent and Oliver. The two were too busy with splashing water at each other to notice but Oliver did see Riley just standing there, laughing, not soaked by water - yet. All it took was a glance at each other and then a glance at Riley for the two partners in crime to come up with a plan.

Riley was not prepared for the weight of both Vincent and Oliver crushing his body, pushing him down beneath the surface of the water. At first he panicked, not having any idea what happened nor who were pushing him down. Then he got annoyed as he slowly realized it was his friends - the druggie and the car addict. And last but not least he got excited, planning revenge was always fun. The weight was suddenly removed from his back when two pairs of arms grabbed his shoulders. The hands pulled him up above the surface again and laughed as Riley desperately coughed and tried getting his balance back. “Fuckers!” he screamed at them through coughs and laughs. They were so dead….

“Sorry, Ry,” Oliver laughed hard. His face was red and he was drawing in hard breaths, making sure he wasn't passing out do to the loss of oxygen. “You should have seen your face!” drying his face with one hand, Oliver continued laughing, loud enough for anyone within at least a hundred feet to hear.

Riley gritted his teeth, hard, between ragged breaths. “I'm gonna show you ‘sorry’!” he shouted and jumped towards Oliver, his face flushed with embarrassment. Oliver screamed with surprise as the slightly shorter, if only by an inch, Riley attacked him, trying to push the young Carswell’s face below the surface.

***

The pirate was quietly moving around the trees and bushes, making sure he didn't accidentally bump into a trunk or step on a stick. He was Vaas’ top scout for a reason after all. Earlier that day he had relieved a message from one of Vaas’ collectors, telling him there’d be a few rich kids to collect by Nightfall, even a small surprise if one may say so, for their boss. The pirate didn't think too much about it, probably someone with a strong mind for Vaas to slowly bend and break until there was nothing left but an empty shell. The pirate lord enjoyed his little mind games, almost as much as he enjoyed the killing in itself.

Making sure he didn't fall on a rock or attract any unwanted attention - from neither the Rakyat or Tigers - the scout stepped around a small hole that was forming in the ground. He didn't want to trip and accidentally sprain an ankle, now did he? It would be hell of a lot of trouble of he did, not to mention he would have to deal with his boss’ fury - which eventually led to torture or even death in some cases. Most of the time death was more welcomed than the excruciating pain the pirate lord would put his men through. He never did believe in complete locality from his men. If they were scared they would follow orders if they weren't they would get up and leave at any moment, Vaas thought. He had to set an example for the rest of his crew. The scout shuddered by the thought of what had happened to his former ally, the one who'd dared to oppose the Lord.

A scream rang out through the forest, waking Diminuto, the scout, from his daydream. He immediately understood it was the Americans the collector had brought, but why the screams? They couldn't afford losing more men nor possessions. If they did Vaas would be furious. He wasn't a great warrior and he was neither a very great fighter in general but hopefully the AK-47 on his back would help at least a little in case of a Rakyat or tiger attack, the scout thought as he ran through the jungle. He had been given the nickname Diminuto by Vaas for a reason. Apparently it meant “very small” in Spanish as fit for his body type, Vaas never really was too fond of the scout’s real name anyway. Diminuto himself liked it, it was an odd take to his native Russian name, like an alias he could use so no one would know the truth. He felt anonymous - he felt  _safe_.

Jumping between the narrow space two trunks of a pair of trees, the scout was just a few feet away from the clearing from which he had heard the loud scream. Hopefully he wasn't too late. If he was lucky, maybe even Vaas’ special “gift” was still alive. Their boss had been unnecessarily moody the past few days and it was just a matter of time before he would snap for real, the lord needed something to get his mind off her and his stupid plans of revenge.

Diminuto came to a sudden stop at the edge of the clearing. He could hear the sound of conversation over the waterfall. And was that… laughter? Confused he peaked in through the big leafs of the bushes and trees, making sure none would spot him through the plants and greens. Careful not to make any sounds, he entered a bush to take a close look. From his point he could see eight people, on the rocks next to the waterfall or in the water itself. Six men, one woman and the pirates’ spotter. No danger, no Tigers, no Rakyat. Taking a deep breath the scout relaxed, happy no one was hurt or dead. Vaas would be pleased, even if two of the people he had ordered were missing. It was only two people anyway, what difference would it make?

Relieved Diminuto picked up his phone to text both Doug and their boss. The merchandise was safe and would be ready for collection in just a few hours, no need to worry about anything. Doug had everything under control it seemed. The tourists loved him, they were all healthy rich kids and they knew where to pick them up when the time was right. Vaas didn't seem too upset either in his reply about the missing people, almost like he had expected it. You could never be too sure with their boss though… One minute he was calm and collected, the next he was bashing someone's head in for walking too close to him. Sometimes Diminuto really wondered if he had chosen the right sibling to follow, then again he thought of all the perks of having Vaas as his boss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dum dum duuuuuum~!^^ hahah c: i promise we'll be seeing more of Vaas soon :3 maybe even in the next chapter? c; dunno haven't written it yet~! Hahah^^  
> I promise to update soon again, please comment your thoughts or if you have a question, or maybe if you really want something special to happen later on? c; haha well thanks for reading!!♡


	7. Prisoners

“Jason, it’s time to wake up, Hermano,” a soft voice spoke, a chuckled following. The voice was neither silent nor too loud yet held an unspeakable force and respect. The owner of the voice was obviously Hispanic judging by the accent, the person sounded oddly familiar to Jason, yet he couldn't pinpoint where he had heard the voice earlier. So close yet so far away, so unrecognizable. “Hey!” The person began snapping his fingers in Jason’s, trying his best to wake the American up.

Slowly but surely Jason started to open his eyes, welcoming the glowing light from the torches all around that were scaring the darkness away. Not until he started to regain full consciousness did he notice his hands tied up tightly above his head with thick rope as well as the silvery duct tape placed over his lips. He couldn't scream, he couldn't struggle, he couldn't escape. He was doomed. Around him were walls of bamboo, like a cage. They definitely didn't want Him running away of disappearing. A few feet away, tied up to another wall in the cage Mike sat on the ground, very much like Jason did. He was already fully awake and glaring daggers at something, or someone, outside of their imprisonment. Slowly Jason turned to look at what upset Mike, only to wish he never had.

Outside of the cage next to Jason, his face illuminated by the light, a person sat in a crouching position. He looked scarier than Jason had remembered, his body casting shadows across the ground. Whenever he would shift to another foot or just so much as tilt his head a bit, the small rocks and sand beneath him would make grinding noises. His black combat boots were dirty with dust, the same with his once deep gray cargo pants, now faded to a darker shade of beige. His red tank top covered his chest and torso, a piece of fabric tied around his left upper arm in the same shade. He stared at Jason with wild eyes, yet those piercing greens were holding something deeper. Perhaps a hidden message or a clue - something only the two of them had known about. Their _secret_.

“Vaas?” Jason tried whispering, the tape plastered over his lips stopping him. What was he doing there? Why was Jason trapped in a cage? And why on earth did Vaas not help him escape?!

Slowly, tears started forming in the corners of Jason’s eyes. Fighting hard against the sobs threatening to escape his treacherous lips, he grit his teeth. He and Vaas hadn’t had any real relation, heck they had met _once_ at a club, but somehow Jason still felt hurt; he felt betrayed. He had felt a connection, some kind of spark, and he could have bet his whole existence on that he wasn’t the only one of the two who had felt it. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. He didn’t know this man yet, Jason had already seen what he was capable of. Maybe Vaas had really beaten up Mike in order to protect him, no hidden motive. Maybe being trapped was all a dream or a big prank set up by his friends or maybe Vaas was held at gunpoint and if he didn’t follow orders he would be killed. Or maybe… Maybe it was all part of a hidden plan. He barely knew the guy…

Screaming through the tape plastered over his lips, Mike tried his best to loosen the ropes around his wrists. He didn’t seem to care too much about the psycho threatening to kill him, he just wanted to be free. When his father found out what this man had done to Mike, he would pay. “You’ll regret this!” He tried shouting, kicking with his legs like a child, almost hitting Jason in the process.

Vaas moved a bit closer to Mike’s side of the cage, looking genuinely interested in what the man was doing. “Sorry what did you say?” He asked calmly, rage slowly building up within him, the fires of hell burning in his eyes. “What did you say? Do you want me to slice you open like your friend?! HUH?!”

Both Jason and Mike flinched at the pirate’s sudden change of mood as well as the volume of his voice. Vaas was even more unstable than the two had originally thought. Everything about him from his eyes to his posture to his mind screamed with insanity. If he had ever been remotely sane, with a normal mindset and normal feelings, all traces of him before was gone. All that was left was an empty shell, a person trying his best to not get hurt while at the same time working hard to maintain at least a small part of his mind.

Seeing Jason’s face, something flashed in Vaas’ eyes. If it was sadness, disappointment or some other feeling he wasn’t sure - but it had been years since he had last felt it. He wanted to stop Jason’s tears, wanted to hold him in his arms and tell him that everything would be fine. Yet at the same time he found slight satisfaction in watching Jason cry, seeing him fear the great leader Vaas’ really was. The pirate lord wanted to keep him safe, but at the same time form and sculpt him into something more - a killer. He saw the potential Jason held, it would be no surprise to the pirate if the American was his right hand in just a few Weeks.

“Stop scaring the hostages!” One sentence from his boss was enough for the Pirate Lord to be awoken from his daydreams. He was not in the mood for another of Hoyt’s outbursts so it was for the best to just do as his boss said and then get back to his own tasks later. Most of the tasks Hoyt handed him anyway involved either “scaring” people or drugs - two of Vaas’ most favorite things. “I need you to take care of the rejects.”

A huge smile spread across the druggie’s lips, scaring Jason even more - if that was even remotely possible. Sparing Mike a glance before turning to Jason again, Vaas sighed happily. “Sorry, hermano, work is calling.” He got up from the ground and brushed a bit of dirt off of his trousers. Watching Hoyt disappear around  
the corner of a building he turned to Jason once again. “But I promise I’ll be back soon because you, _moi_ and your tough-guy friend over there; we’re gonna have a lot of fun together. Ta ta, bye bye!”

Vaas strolled over to one of the guards leaning against a wall about twelve yards away. He told the pirate something, just quiet enough for Jason to be unable to make out the words. The pirate lord flashed a smile to his subordinate before walking away to deal with whatever business that had the highest priority on his list. Jason didn’t even want to imagine what Vaas did for a living except for, well…. Kidnapping and fraud.

Mike carefully watched Vaas, making sure he knew exactly when he was out of viewing distance, or at least far enough away for him to not see was Mike was up to. His struggle earlier had helped him loosening the rope around his wrists. Untying the ropes was proven quite easy once you had gotten one hand free. Now all that was left was untying his ankles, removing the tape and getting out of the cage. Simple. Or so Mike had thought from the beginning.

With the help of a sharp rock Mike managed to untie the ropes around his ankles, sawing through them while tearing with his hands. Quickly he ripped off the tape from his face, trying his best not to shout in the process. “Motherfucker….” He instead whispered and spit on the ground next to him in the small cage. He reached over to the cage’s door to see if he could crack it open, though without attracting the guard’s attention it proved impossible.

Sitting back down in the same position, Mike swore a bit louder. “Goddammit,” he said through gritted teeth. Jason studied him, watching every move Mike made while at the same time trying to get out of his own ropes. Vaas and his pirates really didn’t want them to escape, judging by the imprisonment and guard standing just twelve yards away - his back slightly turned to the cages.

Suddenly something lit up in Mike’s eyes and a smirk appeared on his lips. He put his hands up above his head again, in the same manner as they were bound a few minutes earlier. He turned his head to face the guard closest to our cage and then shouted at him, trying his best to get the pirate’s attention. “Hey, over here!”

The guard began walking over to our cage, doing his best at looking tough and intimidating. He seemed to be in a bad mood, and Mike calling for him didn’t make him happier exactly. “The fuck?! Hey! You guys shut the fuck up!” More he didn’t have the time to say before Mike grabbed the back of his head and hit him against one of the bamboo bars a few times. After two or three hits, the guard passed out cold, his face buried in the dirty ground.

Reaching through one the open spaces, Mike did his best to locate and grab the guard’s key, knowing it was just a matter of minutes before another pirate might show up. Finally finding the keyring after what seemed like forever, he began looking through the keys. One after another, he tried key after key in the big padlock outside the cage. “Shit...” he whispered every time a key didn’t fit or turn. “Not this… Not this… ”

Slowly, Mike was beginning to lose hope. The keys didn’t match the lock, time was running out and he barely knew how to get out of the camp - hell, he didn’t even know the size of the thing. It could be a mile wide, no other civilisation for as long as he could see. Or it could be just that; a small clearing with a house and a campfire. All he knew was that Doug had told them the island barely had any inhabitants - perhaps these pirates or whatever they were, were the people Doug was talking about. Except for them, the island was abandoned.

Three keys left on the key ring, three possible scenarios running through Mike’s head. Scenario one; one of the keys left actually worked and he’d be free in just a few minutes. He’d be able to escape the island and get to safety where he could warn the police and perhaps even save his friends - if they were even still alive. Scenario number two; again, one of the keys turned out to be the correct key and he’d get out of they cage. He’d make his way through and around the camp but wouldn’t find the exit. He’d get captured and possibly killed by his and his friends kidnappers. The third scenario was similar to the second one in a lot of ways. None of the keys would work and he’d still be trapped in the cage. The men would return and either sell them, kill them or - if they were lucky - let them go after receiving enough money.

He couldn’t give up- no… he _refused_ to give up. Mike didn’t want to die like a rat, waiting for his sentence like a coward. He wanted to be free, to fight for both himself as well as his friends. This couldn’t be it. It couldn’t be over yet.

With his head filled with thoughts about what might happen if he didn’t escape, he tried the last three keys. Key number one was wrong, swearing under his breath he let it fall to the ground. Number two fit the lock but wouldn’t turn, this he threw on the body in front of him. There was only one key left - one chance for salvation and freedom. Holding his breath, Mike turned the key in the lock.

_Clink_. The sound was muffled by the sand below, next to the pirate’s head. Jason stared in awe as the lock fell to the ground, bringing down the chain holding the gate closed with it. They were free. Escaping from the camp couldn’t be too hard if all of the pirate’s were like the passed out guard. If they could only flee from there, they could save their friends and return home. Soon they’d be safe.

A huge smile spread across Mike’s face as he quietly opened the small gate. In order to get it fully opened he had to push the body in front of him a bit to the right as well as move the chain and lock. For the moment he was free, now he just had to get out of the camp. Behind him he could hear the muffled voice of Jason, trying his best to get Mike’s attention. He wouldn’t leave him in the cage… right?

Taking a deep breath, Mike turned around to face Jason. His expression was almost as pained as Jason’s was filled with panic. He simply shook his head once before turning around again, leaving the cage. While locking the cage with the same padlock he just moments earlier had dropped in the floor, he explained why he had to go alone. Jason wouldn’t be of much help.

“I’m sorry, okay?” Mike said and shook his head again, pulling a hand through his mud-brown hair in frustration. How could he possibly make Jason understand why he’d leave him? It wasn’t as if Mike could help it! It wasn’t his fault Jason was the way he was. “You’re staying, I’m going to get help. I know it may be hard to understand and accept, but we need to do it this way, Jason.”

Fighting against his bound hands, Jason tried screaming at Mike. He begged him as he sat there in the corner of the cage, tears streaming down his cheeks, to not leave him. He could be of help, he promised to not be in the way. “Please… ” he tried saying, fighting against the cold panic, spreading through his body. He didn’t want to be left behind. “Please take me with you…”

Turning away from Jason once again, Mike sighed. “Jason, it’s not that simple!” He exclaimed, trying his best to calm down from the rage that was slowly building up within him. He hated being mad at Jason, he hated hurting Jason, even if he had to do it from time to time. If he wasn’t harsh to Jason, he would never learn. It was the only way he could keep the younger boy safe. “You’re slow, you’re weak. You will only keep me away from reaching my goal. I promise to get help, okay? But you can’t come with me. You’re not strong enough to come with me. You’ll only drag me down. Don’t make this any harder for me than it already is, Jason. You’re not worth the extra struggle that comes with having to _babysit_ your ass.”

Through the tears streaming down his cheeks, blurring his vision, he watched Mike leave. Disappearing behind a building, in the same spot Vaas had a few minutes earlier, Mike left him. He was all alone now, alone in a big cage - tied up like an animal. There was no way he would be able to escape on his own. He’d end up dead. Or worse.

Looking down on his lap, watching his tears stain his dirty cargo pants, he slowly closed his eyes. Darkness surrounded him, like a warm veil of safety. While disappearing into the empty blackness, Jason couldn't help but hoping that when he opened his eyes again, head be home in his bed. It had all been a nightmare. Yet at the same time Jason knew, there was a small part within him that hoped he wouldn't wake up at all.

***

The rejects really had been no fun at all. They had screamed a bit and begged as Vaas shot the first young man but then it seemed like they all had given up, they had accepted they destiny. One after another he just shot them, one bullet in the head. He tried telling them how worthless they were, that no one would pay for them and therefore they had to die, but nothing helped. They continued being the same, lifeless people they were minutes earlier. No fun at all.

Sighing, Vaas began walking back to Jason and that other guys cage. Having some fun with the American would surely improve his mood, worst case scenario he would have to threaten Jason in order for him to listen - not that Vaas minded. He enjoyed seeing people cry and beg for their lives, that he got even more interested when Jason did it wasn't important. What was important, however, was seeing Jason and have a nice, long talk with him.

Walking through the camp, the dirt and stones beneath his feet crunching for every step, a small smirk appeared on Vaas’ lips. He and Jason were going to have a lot of fun together. He just had to find a way for Jason to … trust Vaas or whatever normal did when they followed someone. Vaas himself didn’t believe in trust. The only reason his men saw him as their leader was of fear; if they feared what would happen if they left and realized the benefits of staying, his subordinates would follow him to the grave.

Suddenly, a scream rang out through the camp. Normally that occurred every now and then in the pirates’ base but this? No, something was very off here. Why was the scream coming from...?

Not knowing what was going on, Vaas began running to the small clearing where Jason and a few others were being held prisoners. He had specifically told his subordinates that only Vaas himself was allowed to touch or hurt Jason. Anyone who opposed that rule would come to regret it - Vaas would personally make sure they did. Then again, a few of his workers were dumb as bats and it wouldn't really come as as surprise to Vaas if they had broken yet another rule. Not that their level of intelligence would affect the punishment they would be given.

As he was rounding the corner of one of the bigger buildings in the camp, small pearls of sweat slowly forming on his skin, he could barely believe what he saw. The scene playing out in front of him was something he had never imagined, not after giving specific orders of how things would be handled. After going through so much trouble to make sure everything was perfect, just to have someone screw it up? Vaas was getting more and more pissed off by the second.

Jason was currently down on the rough dirt ground, having curled himself up in a ball he was doing his best to avoid each blow to his body. Through countless of times of getting hit or beaten up by his boyfriend, or maybe he should say ex-boyfriend, Jason had slowly learned how to shut out and controlled the pain - even if it seemed almost impossible for the first few strikes that was inflicted. There was no use in giving up since the blows and force would just get worse, so in the end Jason decided to hold on, knowing that soon it would get better. The man standing above him couldn't continue forever anyway.

“Where did he go?!” the tall man screamed at Jason as another foot collided with his stomach. The man was quite muscular, his abs showing through his red t-shirt. His green cargo pants were as dirty as Vaas had been, worn out front the countless years of usage and damage. Around his face he wore a green bandana, about the same shade of his pants, perhaps a bit darker though Jason couldn't really tell. Maybe the man wore the bandana to mask his face, make him seem more anonymous and free in a way, or maybe he just thought it went really good with his black hair and sturdy clothes. On his feet he wore dark brown boots, though they had also been bleached to a darker shade of beige from the endless working days spent in the sun, guarding the camp or hunting for food. It was a nice life living with Vaas and the others. The only times the work really sucked was when someone messed up. Or a prisoner escaped, though that hadn't happened in years - until now.

“I don’t know!” Jason tried shouting, a croaking noise escaping his lips. He was trying his best not to give in to the pain but knew too well the taste of blood in his throat wasn’t a good sign. His body shook with sobs, doing his best to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. If it was the man beating him up or because of the feeling of betrayal, Jason wasn’t sure, but he hadn’t felt worse in months. Black spots were dancing across his vision, threatening to drown him in their darkness.

“Stop lying!” The pirate shouted once again and prepared himself for punching Jason one more time. His job would be so much easier if the victims he had to deal with would just cooperate. It wasn’t like he actually enjoyed killing people - except when it came to the goddamn rakyat-warriors…. Well… he _did_ enjoy having fun with the women they got a hold of… and he _did_ enjoy all the drugs that came with the job… To be honest he didn’t feel too bad about hurting people either, but killing innocent people had always made him feel a bit sick afterwards.

The sudden impact with the ground made the taller man lose his breath. The dirt was hard against his face, only his bandana stopping small rocks and sand from getting into his mouth and nose. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but the rough ground had bruised his arms and upper part of his face. There was a sharp pain in the small of his back where someone’s foot had connected with the pirate’s skin, making him fall with a hard push. There was the sound of the safety being switched off on a gun as the cold touch of a metal barrel was pushed against the back of the pirate’s head.

“Didn’t I _fucking_ tell you that only I could touch Jason?” Vaas hissed in his subordinates ear, pressing the barrel a bit harder to his head. He had given the others a few simple orders to follow and this son of a bitch had just broken at least two of them; touching Jason and letting him out of his cage. Couldn’t Felipe just follow his rules for once? Was it really that complicated? “Huh, fucker?!”

“I’m sorry boss!” He tried apologizing to Vaas, doing his best to convince the Pirate Lord to save his life. He hadn’t meant for Vaas to get angry or upset, really, he just wanted to know where the other American was. In other words, he had actually tried _helping_ his employer with finding the missing person.

“Sorry?! You’re fucking right to be sorry!” Vaas screamed at him, getting ready to pull the trigger of the gun. Felipe was a goner, the Pirate Lord was tired of his constant screw ups and mistakes. This time he would be gone for good-

“Vaas…” He was just about to fire his gun when the quiet voice of the smaller American, Jason, called out for him. Biting his lip, he quickly decided to deal with his subordinate later, settling with only hitting him with the butt of the gun. As soon as the metal made contact with the man’s head, he passed out cold. The sole moment before he was swallowed up by the darkness, a warm sense of relief washed over Felipe. If he had only known what would come to happen to him in a few hours, maybe he wouldn’t have been so happy.

Crouching down next to Jason, Vaas picked up the radio from his belt. Someone would have to clean up the mess his former associate had caused. “Marco, Julian, Carlos; I need you, NOW!” Vaas shouted in the radio, making sure the others understood he wouldn’t accept any mistakes.

Reaching over, Vaas stroke back Jason’s hair. “It’s alright, hermano. I’m here now.” He wasn’t really sure himself why he did it or the reason for caring so much about Jason, but something did tell Vaas life on Rook would come to be much more interesting with Jason around. He was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late update but I've had a lot to do in school lately and I'm currently also working on a secret project I'm going to reveal soon^^ Will try to update within the next two-three weeks since I've already got a lot of plans for the next chapter c: Hope you've enjoyed my story so far!! Please leave kudos if you're enjoying it and comment as well c: If you have any pointers on the story or something you'd like to see changed please tell me^^  
> Thank you for reading ♥
> 
> (PS: woahhhh Staying in character as Vaas is harder than i thought.... haha c: I'm sorry if I'm doing a bad job but I will try harder and do better in the next chapter, I promise ^u^ thank you for reading ♥)


	8. Dear Deer-Boy

Mike was trying his hardest not to be seen as he searched through the camp, looking for an exit or some kind of help. As soon as he had left Jason he had come to realize he wouldn't survive on his own in the jungle with the pirates. Remembering that Grant, the oldest Brody brother, was a part of the army, Mike knew he was the only shot he had at getting home alive and well. All he had to do was to find the other man, convince him to leave the others and find a way out. Didn't seem too hard.

Crouching beneath a house, trying to hide from two pirates on patrol, he began thinking of a plan. If he could only convince Grant that either Jason was dead or that they had been separated by the pirate leader - did they call him Vaas? - then he could no doubt making him help Mike escape. The plan was quite foolproof if Grant trusted him and they managed to get away from the pirates. As long as Grant didn't ask too many complicated questions everything would go smoothly - hopefully.

As soon as the two pirates had passed, Grant could silently follow them through the camp. Staying quiet and somehow managing to hide whenever one of them turned or someone else showed up, Mike had a feeling he was getting close to his target. He still had the key from the padlock on his and Jason’s cage in his pocket, if the pirates were as stupid as Mike though they were the key would probably fit the other lock as well. So far luck had been on his side, though he could do nothing but hope it would keep smiling brightly on him and not leave him hanging when he needed it the most.

As soon as he got to a small house built on poles about three feet high, he moved in below them into the darkness. If he could get through to the other side of the house maybe he got closer to Grant. It couldn’t be far from him to Grant from where he was at that point. He had been searching the camp for about fifteen minutes and so far only found other random people. No signs of his friends, no signs of the Pirate Leader. Mike supposed he should have been happy about not encountering the psychopath but something about not knowing where he was at all times made him feel uneasy. He couldn’t shake off the feeling of someone watching him - slowly moving closer and closer through the shadows.

Searching for any signs of nearby pirates, Mike slowly emerged from the shadows beneath the small building. From what he managed to see there were no people around, or not at least in the small clearing. Knowing he had to be quick when searching the cages, Mike wasted no time.

Running out to the first cage, Mike had only one thing in mind - _finding Grant_. Careful not to step on any sticks or other objects that could alert someone, he began searching cage after cage for his …. “Lover’s” brother. The task at hand he already realized, however, would be much harder than he had originally thought. The clearing held about ten or so small cages, all filled with two to three people each.

Running between prisoners, making sure he had the key in hand, Mike inspected all the people in the cages. They ranged from kids to old men and women, blondes to brunettes, natives to tourists. No person was alike Grant or each other in appearance, yet they all begged for their lives and mercy. Some wanted to be killed right away, their minds already destroyed by endless torture and rape, some still had there will left while asking to be let free. They all pleaded on their knees. All except one.

“Grant!” Mike called as loud as he dared. He felt both relieved and happy, yet somehow strange, about finding Grant. The two had to escape the camp no matter what, if they stayed there was no telling how or where they would end up. Grant would have no choice but to cooperate with Mike. Sure, he was in the army and had years of experience - but there was no way he would manage on his own against a whole island of pirates.

Grant was sitting in a corner of his cage, already gotten rid of both the tape over his mouth and the bindings around his wrists. In the other half of the cage a middle aged man was tied up. He looked at Grant with pleading eyes, trying to get his attention, but to no use. Different from Mike, the old man was dressed in a fancy gray suit. He was skinnier and probably smaller than both Grant and Mike. His hair was black, a few strands of gray visible here and there, to match his icy blue eyes. There was a slight stubble on his chin from what Mike could see and his eyes bloodshot from crying.

“Mike?” Grant questioned, squinting his eyes slightly as if to see Mike clearer. He looked worn out from worrying over his brothers, huge bags beneath his eyes. They had only been trapped for a few hours, maybe less, yet he was already worried sick. When their dad had died he had asked Grant, made him promise, to keep his younger siblings and mom safe - he had already failed miserably.

“We need to get out of here,” Mike replied quickly, trying to stick the key in the lock as quickly as he could. His shaking hands didn’t help him turn the lock. Getting the key to fit was harder than he had originally planned for but Mike was determined to get Grant out of the cage - even if it would be the last thing he did. “If we hurry now we might get out of here unnoticed. I’ve managed to create a ….” searching for the right words as he finally turned the key, something popped into his mind. The lock fell to the ground, an unnoticeable _clink_ following the impact. “Distraction.”

Confused, Grant began crawling out of the cage, sparing a glance at the man a few feet away from him. He really didn’t want to leave him but there was no way they would manage to get out having to worry about an old man. They had enough problems as it was. “I’m sorry,” Grant told him with a slight shake of his head. There wasn’t really anything he could do except apologizing. If they released him he might try escaping himself and get killed, at least they would buy him a few days by running away. Maybe the pirates would spend more time and recourses locating the escapees and not focus too much on the other prisoners. “We’ll come back for you, I promise.”

Finally getting out of the cage, Grant got up from the ground to lock the cage again. They couldn’t leave any big evidence of escaping, though there was nothing they could do about the man. They’d just have to hope his heart was kind and strong enough for him not to give up their goal or hold a grudge against them, though neither of them could blame him if he did. They all did what they had to in order to survive. Grant had become a soldier in order to keep his friends and family safe, now he just had to do the same here. The only difference really was there was a stronger foe at hand and this time his loved ones lives were really on the line. He just hoped it would be enough motivation to manage to save them all without any casualties.

“Where’s Jason?” Grant asked quickly, not bothering thanking Mike for letting him out of his cage. When the group was divided and separated from each other, Mike and Jason had been taken away together. Daisy and Liza had been taken to another location, Riley and Keith together, and Vincent and Oliver had been moved somewhere else. They didn’t trust Grant together with any of the others, instead deciding to put him in his own cage with an unknown man.

“I don’t know,” Mike lied, slowly. He had been hoping Grant wouldn’t be asking about Jason, but in the end he would have to trick the older brother in order to get out of the camp safely. “They split us up when we got further into the camp. I have no idea where they took him, but hey; we’ll find him sooner or later. I promise.” Trying to get Grants full attention, directing it away from the man in the cage, he put his hand on the oldest Brody-brother’s shoulder. “But first we need to get out of here and find help. We won’t be doing anyone any good if we get found and killed.”

Taking a deep breath, Grant nodded. Mike was only doing what he thought was best for the rest of their friend. Grant had never expected something so noble from Mike but then again, people change after being exposed to significant change or experiences. Mimicking his brother’s lover’s moves, Grant also placed a hand on Mike’s shoulder. “Yeah,” Grant said and smiled weakly at the other man. “Let’s get out of here.”

***

Finding their way to the exit wasn’t too hard. On their way they had found the necessary equipment to locate their friends and other possible allies - almost as if someone wanted them to escape. Maybe they had an unknown friend on the inside? None of them knew, but they were nonetheless thankful for the clueless mistake, or whatever it was, of leaving a map and walkie talkie out in the open for them to grab. Hopefully they’d be able to find some people willing to help them in a nearby village or something. There were a few marked on the map after all.

Spreading the huge, folded paper out on the ground, Mike and Grant began studying it. Getting to know the map in case they would lose it seemed better than not looking at it at all. There were slight markings all over the map, some saying “radio tower” others “outposts”. Here and there were bigger symbols with names such as “Amanaki Town” or “Bad Town”.

“If we get to this town,” Grant said, pointing at Amanaki Town. “we could probably find someone to help us. Hopefully there will be someone willing to help us there. At least we have to try.” Grant wasn’t sure that they would even manage to _find_ the island, nonetheless survive in the jungle but what other choice did they have? If they didn’t fight, they would all be slaughtered like pigs right away.

“Sounds like a plan,” Mike said and nodded. He didn’t have any choice but to listen to Grant. Maybe he could convince the people in the town to let him and Grant go home. Or at least maybe Mike could convince them to let Mike himself to go home. His best chances of survival for the moment was, however, to follow Grant’s plans. Deep down he knew it was wrong of him to use Grant but there was nothing else he could do. Even if it meant getting the others killed.

“Okay,” Grant said and began neatly folding the map again. He was taking his time as if they had all the time in the world, making sure it was carefully folded in a way that no pages were sticking out. The risks of the map ripping when you opened it were too great if it wasn’t folded the correct way. Grant had been taught a lot of things that seemed stupid at first but proved to be useful and necessary in the army. Even though most of them never really had come in handy - until now. “Let’s go.”

As he watched Grant turn to leave and walk out of the camp, Mike bit his bottom lip slightly. Sighing quietly, he grabbed Grant’s shoulder, making the older of the two turn to face him. “Hey, Grant,” Mike began, not really knowing how to say the words he knew Grant needed to hear. There was no way to avoid apologizing. For once, Mike would lower his guard and pride. “I’m sorry for what I did to-”

An ear-piercing sound rang out through the air around them as pain exploded in Mike’s right leg. Screaming out, he fell to the ground grasping his foot. Never had he experienced such pain, not even that one time his brother had beaten him up when they were kids, causing him to break his arm. Compared to this, that was a walk in the park on a sunny summer day.

“I save your brother,” a voice told them, sounding both composed yet pissed off at the same time. The calm before the storm. “I _spare_ your lives. And this is how you fucking repay me?! HUH?!”

“MIKE!” Grant screamed, throwing himself to the ground next to the other man. Grant tried stopping the blood running down Mike’s leg but to no use. The bullet hadn’t hit any major arteries but it still hurt like hell. There was nothing Grant could do to help him unless he had the right equipment. He didn’t want to leave Mike but it didn’t seem like he had any other choice.

Tears were streaming down Mike’s cheeks as he tried his best to collect his thoughts. He had to get out of there before he was killed by the psychotic Pirate Lord. He didn’t want to die, he didn’t want to give up. He had been raised a leader, this was not the way a leader died. “Please,” he begged through the tears. “Please… ”

“You know what?” Vaas asked, jumping down from the small platform where he had stood. About three feet up on the very same platform, another two pirates stood together with a bloodthirsty dog of some sort. Still having his gun set on Mike, Vaas laughed. He was clearly mentally unstable, though that Mike and Grant had already gotten to know in the same moment that they were captured. “Just because I’m so fucking nice, I’m gonna give you another chance.”

“What?” Grant asked, confused to the very core. For what possible reason could the psycho pirate give them a second chance to get away? Looking at Vaas then the exit of the camp, Grant slowly got up from the ground once again. The fear in Mike’s eyes couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. Grant wouldn’t leave him, right? No of course not…. He couldn’t leave an injured person in the hands of a maniac. Mike was safe.

… Or was he really?

“I will give you thirty seconds to escape,” Vaas said, a slight smile playing on his lips. Oh did he love playing mind games with his possessions… Though he had much bigger plan for the fucker bleeding on the ground. “If the jungle hasn’t gotten to you by then… I will. Fare deal, ey?”

“Please, no … ” Mike begged once again. He didn’t know what he could possibly say to get Grant to stay and fight for him. Throughout their whole relationship, Mike had been an asshole to Grant’s younger brother. He had cheated on him, lied to his face, beaten him up when things hadn’t turned out the way he wanted to… But he still loved Jason, somewhere deep down. “Don’t leave me, Grant… Please don’t leave me here with him!”

Gritting his teeth, Grant turned to leave. “I’m sorry, okay? I need to save my brothers! I swear I’ll come back for you,” Grant shouted as he began running away from the scene, away to the direction he hoped was the way to one of the villages marked out on the maps. He had to find help and he had to save his family and friends. Sacrifices had to be made…

“Run, Forrest! RUN!!!” Vaas screamed at him and laughed into the sky as the pirate behind him released the dog. The american wouldn’t get far in Vaas’ jungle. There was a reason no one had come off the island alive to tell authorities about the happenings at the Rook Islands. Those who didn’t get sold off or killed by Vaas’ own men got lost in the jungle.

Mike was still crying and screaming on the ground. If he screamed because of the betrayal he felt or the pain pulsating in his leg, he wasn’t sure. But one thing he knew was the fact that he was doomed. There was no way Vaas would keep him alive for very long, or at least not long enough for Mike to completely heal or being saved. He couldn’t run, he couldn’t escape. His fate was already decided before he had even arrived at the island in the first place.

Crouching next to the man on the ground, Vaas stared into his victim’s deep, brown eyes. The panic and fear they showed were unlike any other Vaas had ever seen. Compared with his own green, strong, piercing eyes the man on the ground looked like a wounded island. A deer like Bambi.

Chuckling a bit at his own joke, Vaas moved his hand to where he had shot the deer-boy. Putting slight pressure on the wound awarded Vaas with another grunt, like music to his ears. Slowly Vaas pushed his finger further into the hole the bullet had made, burying itself into the poor man’s leg. Another scream from deer-boy ran out through the clearing, growing louder and more desperate as Vaas forced his finger further into the depths of the flesh.

“Don’t worry, hermano,” Vaas said happily, smiling brighter at Mike’s face, drenched in pain. Oh how the Pirate Lord enjoyed watching the reactions of people who knew they were doomed, yet they still had a bit of hope left. They were all trying their best not to let the small spark of faith go out - even though they knew it was hopeless. Sometimes that was enough pay for Vaas to continue doing his job, though he really did enjoy the drugs and power that came with it. “You and I, we’re gonna have a lot of fun while i figure out what to do with your fucking ass.”

Calling for his men to move the deer-boy, Vaas got up from the ground. He had a lot of things to look forward to in the near future. He had multiple plans for Jason, he’d get to have some fun with the new prisoners while he was at it _and_ he would manage to get rid of his sister once and for all as well if everything went according to plan. He hadn’t had so much fun in years.

With a happy sigh, Vaas turned to leave. He too would like to get some sleep before his dear special guest woke up. He was on a tight schedule the coming days, not getting nearly enough sleep wouldn’t exactly help him concentrate on what tasks where at hand. While walking further into the camp, Vaas thought of all the wonderful things to come. Soon he’d get his revenge. Soon everything would fall into his hands, one thing at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter chapter than originally thought but I really wanted to post this sooooo.... yeah ^^ If you happen to find any mistakes or just want to tell me how you feel about the story so far, please comment c:  
> Thank you for reading, please leave comments and kudos if you liked it!!  
> Thank you ♥


	9. Do you have the guts?

Small rays of suns were making their way through the window blinds a few feet up on the wall behind Jason’s bed.They didn’t exactly hit his face or bed at all but being reflected in a dirty old mirror on the other side of the room, caused them to beam right into Jason’s eyes. Vaas had to remember to move the mirror before Jason got used to waking up every morning with the sun hitting his face.

Jason had a vague memory of the beds in their hotel being softer than the bed he was sleeping on in that moment was. Had he accidentally entered another one of his friends rooms the previous night? Listening carefully for the sounds of his friends hushed voices, Jason couldn’t make out any. Outside the room he could hear voices of people laughing and giving each other orders, making Jason wonder if his friends had turned on the tv or something.

Memories of the previous day flashed through his mind. Without hesitation Jason opened his eyelids, taking in his surroundings with full force. He had no idea where he was anymore, he didn’t even know if he was still in the same camp as his friends. All he could see was the huge concrete walls covered in strange and beautiful carvings, some random furniture, the barred windows above his bed and the door. One, single exit to the camp surrounded by pirates.

Rushing to the door, not bothering with the pirates in the camp for the moment, Jason tried opening it. If he could get out of the building then maybe he could figure out the rest later. The jungle couldn’t even be half as dangerous as the camp in which they were all trapped, right? If he could find his brother then maybe he could get out of there. He had to make sure his friends and the others were alright - even Mike though he had left Jason in tears. Maybe he should have been happy for Mike leaving him after all. It had been months since he had last really felt something for him, maybe it was for the best that their…. “Relationship” had ended the way it had. Then again, Mike _had_ left him to die in a camp surrounded by vicious, cold blooded pirates who all worked for the ultimate psycho.

In the end, Jason didn’t have to think too much about what to do after he had gotten out of the room since the door wouldn’t even bulge from his kicks and punches. He wouldn’t be getting out of there if he didn’t get a hold of a fitting key or learn how to pick locks. God, he was doomed.

Looking around, Jason began searching through the room for another exit or something to help him get out of the room. He couldn’t find anything too helpful except for a tiny pocket knife someone had hidden under his bed. He hadn’t really put any thought into the other furniture until then. Noticing the other bed in the room, unmade and recently used, sent cold chills down his spine. Someone else was also living in the same room Jason had been sleeping in. Someone with an access to the camp, or at least access to bathroom visits now and then. If he could get the key, Jason would be free.

More he didn’t have time to think of an escape plan before the door to the outside opened, exposing both the nature of the outside world, huge trees and bushes like the rest of the jungle, and a person standing there. The only real thing Jason would see in the silhouette of the man was his haircut, and more he didn’t need to in order to determine who it was standing in the door opening. Quickly, Jason did his best to hide the pocket knife in the palm of his hand, squeezing the small tree-handle like his life depended on it.

“I see that you are awake, hermano,” Vaas stated, a playful tone to his voice. As he entered, he closed and locked the door behind him, putting the key in one of his front pockets. He hadn't really locked Jason in to prevent him from running away or causing trouble in the camp, he has locked him in to prevent any pirates or worse, Hoyt or Buck, from entering. Sure, Vaas knew his men wouldn’t betray him but he wasn’t too sure about his boss or his … pet.

Jason didn’t reply, he just looked at the pirate as he moved closer and closer. Watching his every move, every time Vaas took a step forward Jason mimicked the move, taking a step backwards. He still didn’t know who he was dealing with and honestly? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Vaas was a psychopath - or a sociopath, Jason wasn’t sure yet - and he had no interest in finding out more about the lunatic.

Feeling himself getting more and more annoyed as Jason moved away, Vaas urged himself to keep his calm. Lashing out at Jason wouldn't help him earn the american’s trust. What Vaas needed to do now was to let Jason know he was safe, that Vaas was there to protect him.

“What's wrong, Jason?” he asked, a mix of amusement and genuine interested in the tone of Vaas’ voice. Even though he didn't want to scare Jason, he couldn't help but enjoy the game of cat and mouse they were portraying. Jason was tiny like a fucking ant, while Vaas stood above him as a fierce tiger. He had Jason _exactly_ where he wanted to have him, only a few feet separating the two from a goal they could both achieve by the help of one another. Vaas still slightly hated the idea of having to cooperate with someone else. “Cat got your tongue?”

“No,” Jason said, trying to sound neutral but failing as he stuttered through the word. His fear only seemed to amuse the pirate even more. Jason wasn't sure how to act or what to stay since it seemed as the pirate could snap at any moment. For now, staying at bay seemed like his greatest option but there was no way to tell how the Pirate would react when they reached the end of the room.

Vaas laughed a bit at the younger ones reaction as he began quickening his pace. The way he moved was somehow beautiful and elegant yet at the same time powerful and hungry. Like a tiger moving in for the kill on an unsuspecting prey. Except that this prey knew it was gonna happen, this prey was prepared to fight.

Feeling the familiar touch of the cold concrete walls against his hot skin, Jason had nowhere left to turn. He was backed in a corner and the tiger approached more and more for every second, every step a bit slower than the previous one. Vaas had nowhere to be, he could take all the time he wanted to. He just wanted to talk with the American, set down a few rules and give a few proposes.

“As you may have noticed we are currently moving in one of the buildings in my camp,” Vaas said and snickered, admiring the carvings on the walls he did now and then every time he was bored. Some were genuine art - or so the painter he once brought said, of course Vaas had thought he was fucking with him and ended up shooting him in the face but still… Other marks on the wall were just that, random marks he had maid to keep track of the days or to just keep himself sane for as long as possible. The jungle had gotten to him pretty quickly after joining Hoyt, but he still wanted to believe that there was some part of him yet not as insane as the rest. “Fucking beautiful isn't she?”

Not knowing how to reply, Jason just nodded. His throat was still quite sore from the previous night’s screaming and crying but hopefully he wouldn't have to say too much to the pirate. He needed to get out of there somehow. “Yes, very beautiful,” he murmured, looking from wall to wall on the different carvings. Somehow he wanted to know more about him, meet the artist. A photographer's dream to meet another artist just as intellectual and skilled as the photographer himself.

“Now, hermano, if you are going to live here we will have to set up a few ground rules,” Vaas said, sighing slightly at the word _rules_. He never did like giving rules to his men about what they could and couldn't do, but when it came to Jason? He couldn't trust either him _nor_ his own men. “Oh, don't give me that fucking look.”

“Sorry,” Jason just murmured and looked away to the art yet again. He didn't really feel to sorry about questioning Vaas but the thoughts were spinning all around in his head. What did he mean by _“if you are going to live here”_?! Jason wanted to get out of the maniac’s camp as quickly as possible, not wasting any time for making friends with the lunatic.

“Number one,” the pirate lord said, suddenly spinning around to walking in the other direction. If there hadn't been a wall behind him, the surprise may have caused Jason to fall backwards. The pirate was quite unpredictable in more than one way. “No fucking bitching. When I say jump, you ask how fucking high, okay hermano?”

Not bothering to wait for Jason's reply, Vaas lazily continued saying rule after rule, comparison after comparison. He tried making it sound as easy as possible for Jason to follow his rules. It wouldn't be too hard for the American, right? That brown haired bitch had told him he was on top of his class after all, couldn't be too hard for him to understand a set of a few fucking rules. “Keep close to me at all times.”

As Vaas was walking back and forward, repeating rule after rule, Jason saw his chance. The next time the pirate would get close Jason could go for it, grab the key in the pirate's pocket and go save his friends. The plan almost seemed too easy to work - though Jason had no other choices but to go for it. Pressing the small button on the knife to reveal the blade, Jason prepared himself.

“And last but not least…” Vaas said, turning around yet again to walk towards the door. If Jason would just follow the “safety precautions” Vaas had set out for him, they could both live happily in the camp. He wasn’t really sure yet what he wanted to do with Jason once he had earned his trust but Vaas knew, he could _feel_ Jason would become an excellent resource in his fight against Citra and the Rakyat. They were on the verge of winning and taking over the whole island, anyway. The pirates just needed a good time and opportunity to strike.

In the same second Vaas began walking to the door, Jason rushed over to the pirate, the knife high above his head. He had to save his friends - even if it meant hurting someone else. He didn’t know what Vaas was capable of or what would happen to Jason himself if he didn’t escape. He just wanted to go home and forget that it had all ever happened. If he just hadn’t rushed off in the club and made sure to stay with the others then maybe they would never had encountered Doug and in turn never Vaas himself.

With the same speed and skill Vaas had used earlier while moving, he quickly turned around to dodge the knife Jason so desperately had tried stabbing him with. Grabbing the blade of the small switchblade. With almost no force at all, Vaas had the younger man pinned to the ground with the knife softly pressed against his jugular vein. After living in a deadly environment for his whole life, Vaas had learned to protect himself. His senses were as strong as the animals in the jungle, his strength that of a beast’s. The American had no chance against the king of the island, the Rakyat’s strongest enemy.

“No _fucking_ stabbing!” Vaas snarled in the other man’s face. With one small cut he could end Jason’s life - and no one would _ever_ know about it. He cut slice the vein pulsating below the knife, spray blood all over his room and the two people at the same time. End the miserable american's suffering once and for all-

Without another word Vaas got up from the floor. With fast steps he walked through the door, locking it behind him. Throwing the key as well as the knife to the guard outside the room, Vaas left for the beach where they were keeping Felipe. He needed to calm his nerves before he did something he would regret. It wasn’t Jason’s fault he was a weak bitch. Vaas would just have to help him overcome the things that held him back.

“It’s fine,” Vaas tried telling himself as he walked down the path leading to the shore of the island. Ripping off a piece of cloth from his shirt to use as a bandage, Vaas quickly shook his head. “It is _fucking_ alright… ”

Wrapping the red cloth hard around his cut hand, the pirate lord hissed slightly as the threads made contact with the fresh wound. I didn’t hurt too much but it was still a feeling Vaas would never grow used to. He didn’t mind getting hurt too much but making sure the wound stayed clean was a pain in the ass. Lucky for Vaas, the camp’s “local doctor” still wasn’t completely broken yet. Maybe he’d go visit the dear doc later to… catch up.

“Carlos!” Vaas shouted furiously as he stormed through the camp. In case having fun with Felipe didn’t get him in a better mood he would need someone else to help him out. Vaas often got happier just by laughing at the prisoners but this? He hadn’t been so pissed off in months.

“Ye-yes boss?” the slightly taller man answered as he ran up to the Pirate Lord, making sure the superior one didn’t have to wait for too long. The last time someone had made Vaas wait… Well, let’s just say that person no longer was a part of their merry band of pirates and slavers. Vaas had made sure he wouldn’t return - if he knew what was good for him and his health.

“The beach,” Vaas simply said through gritted teeth, a storm of lightning raging in his eyes. Knowing his boss, something serious must had happened in order for him getting so angry. Hopefully they’d be able to calm him down soon. An angry Vaas was neither good for business or the people livin in the camp in general. The pirate would make it his own personal mission to make everyone’s lives hell as long as his own was as awful. “Now!”

Not knowing how to reply to his boss’ commands, Carlos simply nodded. His black curls, often just hanging around his face, bobbed up and down as his head did. When he had first joined the pirates a few years ago the others had made it their business how Carlos kept his hair and looks, calling him a woman and other times faggot. It hadn’t taken more than a few days for the ones who dared comment on his appearance to fall quiet. Carlos wasn’t a coward, he was strong with the same mindset as a predator - no one messed with him, well, except for his boss and savior. At least Carlos owned Vaas that.

***

Drying his hands on his cargos, a smile spread across Vaas’ lips. He always had loved the scent of fresh blood, not to mention the smell of fresh blood _from his enemies_. Fooling around with Felipe had been fun but now it was time to get back to work, he thought to himself as he was staining the beige color of his pants with the mixture of Felipe’s blood and brain substance. He had been a smelly fucker, Felipe, but nonetheless fun to kill - just like Chris.

“Maybe he deserves a second chance, huh Carlos?” Vaas asked his subordinate, who was currently standing a few feet away throwing up in a bush. The pirate hadn’t known his right hand man to be such a pussy, but then again maybe he just wasn’t used to seeing someone being strangled with their own tongue. Vaas himself had thought of the scene as quite beautiful, like a flower blooming as the blue color slowly flushed Felipe’s face - causing him to look like a fish gasping for air. Playing with people had always been quite fun to Vaas.

Not bothering to reply to his boss, Carlos slowly got up from his crouching position on the ground. Drying his mouth with one of his hands, he tried making sure his boots weren’t too covered in his own vomit, just as Vaas’ were covered with Felipe’s guts and intestines. Nothing ever seemed to bother the Pirate Captain in the same way that it bothered the other pirates. Vaas took pride in the work he did while torturing people, the others looked at it with a bit of awe mixed with disgust. What Vaas had done to Felipe was nothing Carlos had ever imagined even Vaas doing, proving what Vaas would do to anyone else hurting Jason. Felipe had been a man of their crew, Carlos didn’t even want to think what Vaas might have done if it had been a Rakyat warrior hurting Jason.

Walking back to the camp, Vaas had a slight smirk on his lips. He was already making new plans for Jason and the rest of his crew. Some of them could prove useful, others … not so much. He still wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do with the son of a bitch Vaas had stopped in the night club in bangkok only a few days earlier. So many things had happened it seemed as the night in the club had been weeks ago, though it had only been about 72 hours.

Heading over to the guard outside of his “house”, keeping an eye on Jason, the pirate couldn’t help but hum. He was suddenly in a really good mood, not minding the little stabby-incident too much. We all did mistakes, Jason just had to learn not to repeat the same faults again and again - that and Vaas really needed to get a pair of new pants that weren’t drenched in guts and blood among other substances. Even if it did scare up his subordinates a bit, it would start smelling in a few days and that didn’t exactly help him in making his men look up to Vaas.

“What happened while I was gone, Diminuto?” Vaas asked his small scout and Jason’s current guard - or babysitter if one preferred that term. All the keeper of the key to the small building had to do was make sure Jason didn’t try escaping again. It was a fairly easy job even fit for the stupidest monkey. It wasn’t as if the guard had to do anything special anyway.

Shaking his head, Diminuto handed the fellow pirate the key to Jason’s imprisonment. “No, he’s been quiet most of the time,” the scout told his boss with a slight smile, happy Vaas no longer was in a bad mood. One of the positive things of having a bipolar employer was he was never upset for too long - though you never knew when Vaas would snap and shoot another slaver just to prove a point. The pirates were replaceable, just like the supplies they were selling on the blackmarket - Vaas’ leadership wasn’t. The sales had never been so high and the number of Rakyat attacks never so low since Vaas took over the northern island from its previous caretaker. Buck had never been fit for the job anyway.

Flashing the lower ranked pirate another quick smile, Vaas unlocked the door leading to Jason, who was still as surprised and confused to why Vaas hadn’t killed him an hour or so earlier. Why didn’t the pirate just get it over with instead of keeping him locked in a room where there was no way to escape? Jason wasn’t of any use anyway, like Grant would have been, so why keep him there?

Entering the room, Vaas sighed happily. The pirate walked in a quite nonchalant way, putting all his weight on his heels, like he had no cares in the world. There was a weird gray liquid on the pirate’s boots to go with the metallic looking, red liquid splashed on his pants. After a few seconds of consideration, Jason decided he didn’t want to know neither what liquids Vaas was covered in or where they had come from. Some things were better left unknown.

“Sooo...” Vaas purred, letting Jason wonder if it was some sort of drugs talking or if it was really Vaas standing there. The way the pirate acted made Jason feel insecure, it wasn’t anything like he had seen Vaas earlier yet it seemed….more honest in a way. Like Vaas didn’t try hiding his emotions behind a mask of stone while in that very room, in the room he was free and untouchable by anyone and anything.

“I have a proposal for you. A proposal that would fucking benefit _both_ of us, hemano.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha woaaah some chapters I write only take me a few days while others weeks.... though I suppose it depends on how interesting I find the content.... Oh well~!  
> I just wanted to thank everyone who's read it so far and stayed with me until now!! We already have over 1000 hits and to me that feels AMAZING! I never imagined this would get past 300 hits, nonetheless 1000. So I just wanted to say, thank you so much for reading, commenting and leaving kudos ♥  
> I'm already working on the next chapter and it's expected to be uploaded within the next two weeks (unless I suddenly get a ton of stuff to do in school) but I promise to hurry and write it quickly.  
> Again, thank you so much for reading, commenting and leaving kudos. You give me motivation to keep on writing ♥


	10. Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter is a bit shorter than the last one but I had a writer's block for a while so I just wanted to get this up as soon as I could. I have a few ideas for the future where I want to go with this story and I hope you like them too c:
> 
> Please tell me what you think of the story and where it is going in the comments, I'd really appreciate it!!
> 
> And as always, thank you for reading ♥ Please enjoy chapter 10 of Mirror, Mirror (too lazy to type the whole title haha) c:

“The path leads to the heart of the jungle. Follow the path and you will find the answer,” a voice said, hiding its true form in the darkness of the American’s mind. He didn’t know for how long he had been passed out but at least he wasn’t floating around in the water below the bridge anymore. Everything beyond the point of the madman shooting Mike was blurry. He could vaguely remember bits and pieces of the escape, not much more.

“Where am I?” Grant carefully asked as he slowly tried to open his eyes. His eyes wouldn’t focus, making it harder to figure out his location. On the wall there seemed to hang a carving of some sort of native-looking mask. Grant couldn’t make out any certain details or from which country it might have come from but it wasn’t something he’d like to encounter in a dark ally. It’s red skin made the brown walls look faint in comparison, causing the mask itself to look bigger and all the more frightening. The mask’s black hair was sticking in all directions, like a lion’s mane, to match the beige fabric body.

Looking around, Grant managed to make his eyes cooperate after a little getting used to the lighting in the room. Shifting his gaze to his left, the older Brody brother couldn’t help but notice a man sitting next to him, carving black symbols with a strange tool on his arm. “What the hell?!” he exclaimed, trying to get away from both the man and the tool. Struggled proved useless as he couldn’t even move the arm held captive.

“You’re weak, well not all of you. The arm has been deadend to allow for the tatau,” the man told Grant, leaning back in his chair. His skin was darker than any of the pirates’ he had seen so far. In the glowing light his deep brown shone, standing out in the white of his eyes rimmed by a pair of black glasses. To go with his skin and eyes there was a small black beard on his chin and a ruffled hairstyle. A small scar, like the one the Pirate Lord had, had made its mark in the middle of his forehead, making him somehow look even scarier than the pirates. “It is brave to swim in a storm, but to sunbathe on a beach with pirates? Insanity.”

Slowly, without losing the dark man’s gaze, Grant reached for the knife placed next to him. Maybe wherever he was would be safer than with the pirates but the man in front of him had after all tattooed Grant without his permission. He wasn’t sure he wanted to kill the African-looking man but he did want some answers and get out of the hut he was currently staying in.

Suddenly, the other man’s knife was aimed at Grant’s throat, warning Mike not to touch the weapon next to him. The man had a neutral, almost bored, expression on his face, as if he had expected Mike to fight. “You have the right to take my life. But know, I will also take yours,” the man told him, his voice as strong as it was serious. The man gave off a small chuckle before turning the combat knife he held in his hand around, offering it to the American. “I am Dennis.”

“Grant,” Grant replied, taking the knife from the man’s already tattooed hands and arms. There was something about him that made Grant feel a mixture of respect and determination. He obviously wasn't on the same side as the crazy pirate that had his brothers, maybe Dennis could help him save his family. There was no way he would be able to do it alone - even with his military training.

While taking a close look at the fresh tattoo on Grant’s arm, Dennis said a few words in a language Grant couldn't understand. If it was some sort of language they spoke on the island or it was an African language from whatever country Dennis originally came from, the American had no idea. He was grateful, however, when the other man continued speaking in English. “The heron, the shark and the spider. I know who you are Grant,” he said, shifting his gaze to meet Grant’s blues. “You are a warrior, and the tatau will allow for you to reveal your true self.”

As Dennis offered to help him up from the bed, Grant took the outstretched hand. As he stood up on his feet blood rushed to his head, forcing him to sit down on the edge of the mattress. Looking up at Dennis, Grant had a pleading longing in his eyes. he needed somebody's help or he would never be able to rescue his siblings. “Listen, my younger brothers has been kidnapped. I need to find them and six other friends.”

Nodding, Dennis flashed a smile. He couldn't help Grant save his family and loved ones but he _could_ give him a push in the right direction. “Come with me,” he said, stretching out his arms to his sides as if opening for a nonchalant hug. Quickly he dropped his hands to his thighs, letting them hang freely as he switched his weight to one leg.

“So you’ll help me?” Grant asked, finally managing to get up into a standing position. He never did liked looking up on people, it made him feel small and weak. Grant was a warrior, a hero, and his brothers’ sole protector. He would get them back no matter what, his brothers were relying on him. No matter the price he’d get them off the island in some way or another.

Sighing slightly, Dennis shook his head no. He really wished he could be of more help to the American but in order to prove his worth, he had to do it on his own. “No, you can only help yourself. Though I….” He said, pointing a finger at Grant before once again letting it fall to his side. “am going to free you.”

Turning to the door Dennis began leaving the room, not bothering to turn around and see if Grant followed. With quick steps, trying his best to walk straight by focusing on one certain object at the time, Grant made it over to Dennis in mere seconds. Maybe the man really could teach him a thing or two about surviving on the island - he really did need all the help he could get.

***

“So you’re telling me that you will spare my friends’ lives if I just work with you?” Jason asked, still quite confused to why the pirate hadn’t just slit his throat when he had the chance. The American had after all tried killing the Pirate Lord so why was he asking Jason for his help? There wasn’t really anything Jason _could_ help him with either. He was just a photographer from California, not a soldier like his older brother or pilot like Riley. The only thing he was good at outside of his profession was exposing his life to danger - and not even that was a helpful talent.

Vaas chuckled a bit, happy his words had finally gotten through to the thick-headed American’s brain. “Almost, hermano. Sure, I’m still a little pissed about you trying to stab me but we can get back to that another time,” the Pirate Lord replied, the same goofy smile still playing on his lips. Jason was weak like a cub in his state, though Vaas could see potential. If he could just be trained and learn to fight like the rest of the pirates, soon the American would grow to be a fierce tiger like Vaas already was. “You have potential as a warrior, hermano. A fucking dragon trapped in a human body.”

Jason shook his head slightly, still not fully grasping the reality and danger of the Pirate Lord’s words. He was still confused of what was going on and what was happening to his friends and family - but he did know something. In order to help his friends he needed Vaas help. “But I’ve never even shot someone. I’m just a city boy from Cali,” Jason tried explaining. “Grant, my older brother, is the warrior you are looking for.”

Now it was Vaas’ time to shake his head. Sure, Jason didn’t have any experience at all compared to his brothers but his aura… There was something special about him - something the Rakyat had been told in stories as children. “Jason, Jason, Jason, Jason… There was a fucking reason I didn’t kill you when I had the chance, hermano.” As he spoke, the pirate clicked his tongue. He hadn’t ever had to explain the legend before, everyone on the island knew of it from childhood. Vaas had never expected the _Toa Atarangi_ to be reborn as an American, nonetheless an American who’d be willing to work with the pirates. Once Jason had learned how to channel his powers, the civil war on the island would end in just a matter of days. “Your soul is as old as the land itself, the power inside you seem even stronger than I could ever have fuckin dream of.”

“But I don’t understand,” Jason tried convincing the pirate. Even if the things he said was true, how could Jason trust him? Vaas had his friends captured, threatening to sell them off as slaves. For all the american knew, it could all be a big joke to make him trust the Pirate Lord. “How do you even know you’ve gotten the right person? That I’m not just some random dude?”

Vaas sighed again, this time louder and more annoyed. Couldn’t Jason just accept the fact that he was a warrior, born to lead an army and slay whatever stood in his way? Americans were so complicated. “Okay, hermano… ” Vaas said as he went to sit down on the edge of his bed. It was going to be a _long_ day. “Let’s take it all from the beginning, okay? So we can get all the information through your thick fucking skull.”

Deciding it was for the best not to fight back or give stupid replies to Vaas’ insult, Jason sat down on the bed opposite to Vaas. The pirate was obviously frustrated, not knowing how to start the story, judging by the way he was intensely staring at his own hands. Desperate to break the awkward tension between the two, Jason tried his best to come up with a way to make Vaas start explaining. Anything would be better than the silence between them.

“When I was a niño … My mother used to tell me the story of a great warrior,” Vaas said, looking off in the distance as if he was losing himself in the story. His green eyes looked dull in the lighting of the room, making him look so much sadder than earlier. Jason almost felt sorry for the slightly older man. “The warrior was the strongest member of the Rakyat, the natives of this island, and adored by all the people of the tribe. With the power of a fucking tiger and the mind of ten men, he was born to be the leader of the people. They called him _Toa Atarangi_ \- the Shadow Warrior.”

Nodding as Vaas explained, Jason’s head was still filled with questions all about the strange warrior and the people of the tribe. “But what has any of this got to do with me?” he finally asked after a few minutes of silence. If anything, Jason was even more confused now than he was before Vaas had started telling him about the old legend of a great fighter.

Clenching his fists, Vaas drew in a few harsh breaths as to not lash out on the man in front of him. Vaas himself wasn’t too sure about why he wanted to protect Jason and do his best to control his temper. Maybe it only was because of the power the American held and Vaas’ respect for it, or it was something completely different in itself. “After leading the village for years, fighting and winning against whatever had the guts to stand up to him,” the pirate continued, trying his best to ignore the occasional yes’s or nods Jason did. “The man led his tribe to victory for many years, until one day when the warrior sensed something big was coming. A fierce battle between demons and angels was upon the tribe - with no way to stop it.”

Finding himself being drawn in by the story, Jason decided to quietly listen as Vaas spoke. There was still a hint of longing hidden behind his strong, piercing eyes. There was no way Vaas hadn’t heard the story countless of times growing up. Jason tried imagining the sociopath in front of him as child, begging his mom to tell him the story of Tao-whatever again and again.

“The village fought long and hard against an army of demons, slowly losing man after man. There was no way the war would end in their favor,” Vaas explained, caught up in his own story. The chance to actually get to tell the story himself meant a lot to the Pirate Lord, it was a way for him to relive the memories of his mother and sister - way back before the civil war on rook ever started. Back when Rook still was peaceful, except for the occasional animal attack. “Knowing it was the only way to save his people and the village, the Warrior made a deal with the devil. The Devil accepted Tao Atarangi’s offering, granting the warrior a bow and arrow to kill the demons as well as the power to fucking disappear in front of one’s eyes. The warrior was invincible, though his power had a price. Once all of the demons had been slayed, the Devil returned to take what was his. It was time for the Warrior to pay what he owed.”

“What happened to him?” Jason asked, not bothering to stay quiet anymore. He needed to know what happened to the warrior and the village, how the fighter payed the Devil after helping the tribe win the war. Why had the Devil even decided to help the warrior from the start?

A small smile spread across Vaas’ lips, seeing Jason’s curiosity. At first he had find it annoying with all the questions, as if Jason was mocking him. However, after realizing Jason was genuinely interested in Vaas’ story, a warm feeling spread in his chest. “The warrior had offered his own life to save those of the village,” he continued, the smile on his lips turning sadder as the story went on. Never had Jason expected to see that kind of expression on a killer. Maybe Vaas was a bit better than he originally had thought. “Letting the Devil eat the flesh of his body, Tao Atarangi promised his people he would return in another life, when they needed him the most. He would come to settle any battle the people of the island couldn't on their own. He’d come to lead them when they needed it the most.”

“Woah… ” Jason breathed, completely stunned by the beautiful yet tragic story. The warrior had been a brave man, looked up upon by his people. He was a born leader and a strong fighter - the complete opposite of Jason. “I’m sorry … But I’m not the person you’re looking for. I’m … just Jason.”

“Hermano, you have a choice,” Vaas explained, shaking his head slightly. He didn’t want to look at the man in front of him, knowing that he wouldn’t believe the pirate no matter what he said. Well, there was no way an American would believe in the story just like that anyway. He probably needed time to adjust. “Either you side with me and put an end to this fucking civil war. Or I stop protecting your friends and family from the people in my camp. I can’t guarantee their safety around here if you don’t work with me.”

Jason couldn’t decide if he was sad or angry at the pirate. He was left with an ultimatum; to help the Pirate Lord and ensure his friends’ lives, or refuse and watch his friends die. The choice was obvious, there was only one thing he could do. The Pirate had him cornered. “Fine,” Jason replied, almost spitting out the word like poison. He wasn’t happy about the outcome of everything, but he did need to help his friends. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

“That’s what I like to fucking hear, hermano!” Vaas grinned brightly as he jumped up from his bed. He already knew Jason’s answer beforehand but still, hearing the American promise to help him out was music to the Pirate Lord’s ears. There was nothing like the feeling when things went his way.

Walking over to the door, leading to the outpost, Vaas picked up the key once again. Unlocking the door, Vaas turned back just as he was about to leave. “The fuck are you waiting for, hermano?” The pirate Lord asked the American, a hint of annoyance hidden in his voice, as if following the pirate was the most obvious thing to do. “A fucking invitation?”

“Sorry?” Jason asked, still not really sure if he could believe all he had just heard. Was he really an old warrior sent to decide the outcome of a war? Just a few weeks ago, he had been just Jason and now he was going to fight demons in order to save a tribe of strangers. He didn’t want to- no, he _couldn’t_ believe his ears. “You’re letting me leave my… cell?” The word _cell_ in itself was more of a question than the whole sentence. He barely knew what to call his imprisonment without offending the Pirate in front of him.

Sighing for probably the hundredth time that day, Vaas nodded. “I can’t fucking show you my camp if I don’t, cabrón,” The pirate explained in a way that only a baby wouldn’t understand - yet it sounded like a foreign language in the American’s ears. He was really getting tired of the countless insults Vaas kept throwing at him. Then again, he was quite grateful for being released from the room after spending the previous day in a cage.

Hurrying out through the door before Vaas changed his mind, Jason made sure to stick close to the Pirate Lord as they walked through the camp. Sure, he didn’t trust the sociopath even the least, but so far he had done Jason more good than any of the other members of his jolly band and crew members. For the moment, staying as close to Vaas as possible seemed like Jason’s greatest option.


	11. Princess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update :cc But as a bonus this chapter is longer than the others yay!!^^ Thank you for reading and following this story so far ♥

The following days, Vaas started Jason’s training to become the ultimate warrior. Jason still refused to believe he was the chosen one and that he would decide the war on the island, but he didn't have much choice but to practice. If him learning to fight made the Pirate Lord happy, it meant Jason's own friends were safe. And well, learning to defend himself was never a bad idea.

“Like this?” Jason asked as he aimed for some bottles a few feet away, holding his gun sideways like he had seen in so many movies before. He almost felt like he was a part of a movie, the protagonist trying to save his friends while forced to work with the antagonist to make it work. Jason smiled at the scenario he thought up in his head.

Vaas looked at him as if he was crazy, questioning whether or not Jason was serious about holding the gun that way. “Are you fuckin stupid?” Vaas asked, shaking his head slightly. Teaching the American would probably be even harder than when he first taught _Hoyt_ the difference between normal and Rakyat weed. God, had his boss been a pain in the ass…

“What?” Jason asked, a slight blush spreading across his cheeks as the Pirate Lord told him off in front of the whole camp. Watching Vaas teach Jason everything from which plants were edible to how to most efficiently slit one’s throat, had become the primary source of entertainment in the camp. Everyday at lunch their training would start, not ending until late evening. All pirates seemed to act like Jason was one of theirs, a bit inexperienced but yet the same a member of their people. The american wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

“You have never fucking fired a gun before and on top of it you’re holding it like that?” a hint of disgust in Vaas as he spoke, not really believing his eyes as the whiteboy aimed for the beer bottles. The bottles were standing on a few rocks and blanks from old buildings around the camp. It wasn’t really a professional set up but it worked whenever anyone needed to practice against an inanimate object. “You’re gonna lose your gun-virginity looking like that?”

Not able to hold it any longer, Jason fell to the ground. Clasping his stomach as to keep the laughs in, the Brody boy laughed louder than he had in a good while. It seemed for every day he was away from Mike he got happier- even if he had to spend the time getting to know a cold-hearted killer. Being welcomed by both the “king” and his people felt kind of nice, almost as if he could trust them not to hurt anyone.

“What?!” Vaas asked, a bit pissed yet amused by Jason’s sudden fit of laughter. Vaas remembered very well the first time he had fired a gun, the first time he had killed someone. Never would her father ever touch Citra again. Now he was gone - forever.

“My _gun-virginity_?” Jason tried his best asking between laughs. Sure, the American would much more prefer sitting at home watching a movie over the island and pirates, but Vaas did have his moments. Living on the camp so far hadn't been too bad, not the way he was treated at least.

“It's fucking important…” Vaas grumbled quietly, almost in a pouty way. Crossing his arms over his chest, the pirate turned to leave Jason with the rest of the members of his crew. If the American wouldn't listen to him, Vaas saw no point in trying to teach him how to fight. He wasn’t really angry with neither Jason or the way he acted but he still felt kind of… embarrassed that Jason took him for granted for some reason. He wasn’t really sure himself.

There was something almost… adorable in the way Vaas acted, like a kid who was denied his candy on a Saturday. Realizing what he was thinking about the vicious killer in front of him, Jason's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. It was no lie that Jason was attracted to the pirate’s look but going as far as calling him adorable? He was slowly losing his mind.

“Okay okay, I'm sorry,” Jason apologized, sitting up on the dusty ground covering the camp. He felt a tiny bit bad about making the pirate mad but mostly he just didn't want to be left alone with the others. He was trusting Vaas a bit more than earlier but the others? He barely knew anything about them except for the few guards Vaas kept insisting Jason walked around with when the Pirate Lord wasn't around. If the guards were there to protect him or keep him from searching for his friends, Jason wasn't sure - though the pirate had forbidden him from seeing his friends until the training was done.

Grinning brightly once again, the pirate turned back to Jason’s side in order to teach him how to really hold a gun. Pulling out his own weapon, Vaas got in position and aimed for the bottle. Without hesitation he fired two shots after one another, hitting the bottles in the very back. Placing his gun in the lining of his pants, Vaas moved to watch as Jason tried standing the way the pirate had just seconds earlier.

“The fuck you doing?” Vaas asked, shaking his head as Jason tried balancing enough on his both feet to get the gun to aim straight. It was way heavier than he would ever had expected. Vaas had made it look so easy, yet Jason was standing there only vaguely knowing how to fire the gun in his hands. “Raise your arms more. I said raise them! Both hands on the gun… ”

Sighing once more Vaas decided trying to teach the American with just words would be useless. He was an idiot down to the core, not even knowing how to fire a gun properly. Wasn’t his older brother in the army or something? Didn’t the oldest Brody boy ever try to teach his brothers how to shoot? Did their old man never take them hunting?

Coming up behind the American, Vaas forcefully grabbed Jason’s arms. Placing both of his hands on the gun - two fingers on the trigger - Vaas helped the slightly taller man aim for a bottle a little closer than the others. Placing a leg in between Jason’s own, the pirate kicked them a bit further from each other so that the white boy’s balance hopefully would manage to fight the recoil of the gun.

“Slow, deep breaths,” Vaas ordered Jason, his voice barely above a whisper. The Pirate Lord had his face right next to Jason’s as he helped him focus on the bottles up front. The feeling of the other man’s slight beard against his own shaved face had Jason blushing. Trying to keep his eyes and senses peeled on the bottle seemed impossible with the feeling of the Pirate’s arms around his body, cheek against his own and hands wrapped around his fingers, all while whispering quietly in the American’s ears. If Jason listened close enough he could even hear the heartbeats, slow and rhythmic, in Vaas’ chest compared to Jason’s own fluttery heart.

“Relax and focus on the target, become one with your weapon,” Vaas continued, trying his best to make Jason keep his attention on the targets while at the same time teaching him how to stand and hold the gun. He could smell faintly of cinnamon and vanilla on the American, mixed in with the salty scent of ocean and sweat. Jason didn't smell dirty though, no… he still somehow managed to stay fresh in the humid air. “And… fire.”

The feeling the gun recoil in his hands was unlike anything Jason had felt before. The rush of excitement and satisfaction through his mind and body as the bullet hit its mark had adrenalin flush through his veins, making Jason completely forget about the ringing in his ears from the loud noise of the bullet fire from the gun. In a way, he could see how the pirates could keep on hurting people without moving a muscle - the thrill of the gun was overwhelming.

“See? Didn’t I fucking tell you that you could do it?” Vaas cheered, his satisfaction way too obvious. Well, of course the American would be able to hit the target with such an amazing teacher as Vaas. Everything had gone the way the Pirate Lord had expected, he never failed at teaching his fellow men how to protect themselves - except for the few times he had gotten so pissed that the pirate himself had shot them in the head but that wasn’t relevant.

“Didn’t you mock me just a few minutes earlier about never holding a gun before?” Jason murmured under his breath, hoping the pirate hadn’t heard him. He didn’t really know why but there was something in him that felt… annoyed. Where Vaas had earlier stood, his arms wrapped around Jason’s own fragile body, now felt cold. He felt so… _insecure_ on his own - alone. He didn’t know why, and truly he really didn’t really want to. Something was definitely wrong in his mind, slowly making him go insane. Was that the effect the pirate had on all people? Were the others around him just as mesmerized by the pirate as Jason was?

“Motivation, hermano,” the Pirate Lord corrected him, a grin spread across his lips and facial features. There was something within Vaas that felt warm, almost as if he was proud of the American. Maybe he’d take him hunting as a treat for doing so well… Or present him with a special _gift_ Vaas had saved for a special occasion just like this… But no, it wasn't the right time for that yet. Jason needed to trust the Pirate Lord a bit more first.

“Motivation,” Jason repeated, a slight pout on his face. Honestly, pleasing Vaas was more of a motivation for the American - especially when the Pirate Lord helped him out the way he had when he first fired the gun. The muscular arms around him had me Jason feel warm, _safe_ in the pirate’s embrace like he was born and created to fit perfectly into those strong-

An even stronger blush spread across Jason’s face, staining his cheeks a bright pink. What was he thinking about? Sure, the pirate was more attractive than most people but he was still a murderer and kidnapper. Jason needed to get his mind back together before he did something he would regret. Getting off the island with all his friends was top priority, no matter the cost. He would do anything to free his friends.

Vaas was just about to ask Jason what the fuck was wrong with him, masking how proud he actually was with irritation and ignorance, when the small radio in the lining of his pants sparked to life. Only few people had access to the channel of Vaas’ own radio, like Carlos and every leader of his minor outposts, and among those were few who actually bothered to call the pirate leader himself. Most went through Diminuto, knowing their boss rarely yelled at the youngest of their camp, thinking of him as a younger brother.

At first the static from the small speaker drowned any other sounds coming from the radio, crackling noises mixed in with the sound of gunfire and screams - all a great mess mixed together. After a few seconds the pirate lord started making out words, noises of panic and desperation. Something was definitely wrong out of the ordinary, tiger attacks or Rakyat was never too big of a problem but this? There hadn’t been screams like this in years - not since the last time his sister had gotten herself a new _toy_.

“Boss!” someone screamed in the microphone on the other line, a voice laced with a heavy hispanic accent. Rapid Spanish was coming out loud from the speaker on the radio, trying to speak as fast and clear as possible while at the same time not letting itself being quieted down by gunfire. It had been years since Jason had last studied Spanish, all the way back in high school, but he could still make out some words of the panicked man. _Attack. Help. Death._ Not being able to make out full sentences, the American couldn't be a hundred percent sure about what was being said but someone obviously was being attacked judged by the firing guns and screams. Someone was dying.

Vaas put his own radio against his lips, saying a quick sentences as confirmation that help would be sent, a line Jason could briefly translate to _We’ll be there in five minutes_ , plus a few words the American assumed were swear words or insults. Jason was still confused to what to do or where to go. He wanted to help out somehow but he didn’t know how or where. He was tired of being a bother, tired of never being able to help people.

“Carlos!” Vaas shouted, whatever trace of humor and kindness he had used with Jason was gone, blown away with the wind. He had no time for playing around, his men were in danger and needed backup as soon as possible. Jason wasn’t strong enough nor ready to fight the Rakyat, the Pirate Leader would have to leave the _Tao Alugmai_ in the hands of his most trusted man.

Knowing his boss would kill him if he didn’t, Carlos hurried the best he could up to the Pirate Leader and his “cub”. The pirates didn’t normally mess with Vaas in fear of his rage, during emergencies they were even less prone to make mistakes, their leader wasn’t exactly known for being very forgiving, nonetheless kind with his punishments. None of them had seen it except for Carlos, though they had all heard the screams of panicked pain coming from the beach as Felipe was slowly losing his conscious.

“Yes boss?” Carlos asked, panting a bit by having to run through the camp. Just like his boss had, he had heard the screams in the radio from the outpost, or rather Amanaki Outpost to be specific. They hadn’t had any problems over there earlier, it was the first time they had been hurt to the point where they had to call for backup. The Rakyat had never been a real threat or problem up until that point.

“You, James and Gale stay here with Snow White,” Vaas simply said, shrugging in Jason’s direction as to clarify who he was talking about. There wasn’t any room for discussion, Vaas was stressed and Jason would not be coming with them to fight. In comparison to the other pirates and even the Rakyat, Jason was a child. Vaas would just end up not being able to focus on the task at hand and instead worry about his cub being hurt - or even _killed_. No, Jason wasn’t ready.

Carlos simply nodded, motioning for Jason to follow him away from the Pirate Lord. While the others were gone fighting Carlos and those left could take Jason hunting, teaching him how to shoot moving targets. That way when the others got back they would have food prepared for them and the wounded wouldn’t have to worry about anything except keeping their leader satisfied.

Jason felt like protesting, forcing Vaas to bring him to the fight but at the same time he knew it was useless. He didn’t know the island and he had no idea what kind of people they were up against. The closest Jason ever had been to harming something was when he helped his dad gut the fish or whatever animals he and Grant came back with after a successful day in the woods.

As Jason walked off with his gigantic guard just a few feet in front of him, he could hear Vaas bark orders at his men. If things were as bad at the other camp as it had sounded over the walkie talkie they would need all men they could spare. Vaas trusted the three people he ordered to guard Jason, if they stayed behind the camp would be safe for a good while. The three pirates would be able to hold their ground for as long as they had to while the others fought at Amanaki.

“Go, you chickenfucks!” Vaas screamed at the few men who hadn’t gotten a move on in the same second their leader and boss had stopped talking. Scrambling to their feet, up from the dirty ground, the men hurried over to the other people a few yards away. There had always been two sides to the pirate; one slightly reasonable, laughing man. Someone you almost could talk with and who loved having fun. Then there was the other personality. The cruel, powerful Pirate Lord, whose sole name spread fear across the island. During emergencies there was no time or room for the kinder side of Vaas’ personality to slip through the cracks.

Turning to one of the smaller buildings in the compound, Vaas went to retrieve his own set of armory. He didn’t usually go with his men into battle but he wanted to show what kind of man he was to whatever had the guts or loss of brain to attack one of his camps. This was _his_ island - and no one was going to take it away from him. Vaas would stand up to whatever made it onto his island until his last moments of life, all to protect his home.

Vaas unlocked the door to the small shack and entered in the same breath. When they had moved Jason into Vaas’ own bedroom, the Pirate Lord had decided it would be for the best to not let Jason too close to his collection of knives and automatic assault rifles. After the American had tried stabbing him with a small switchblade, Vaas had been proven right, leaving him with a small feeling of satisfaction.

Quickly walking from gun to gun, from knife to knife, Vaas finally decided on a P416 with a red dot sight and extended magazine as well as a regular D50 handgun. It wasn’t a very big arsenal he chose to bring but hopefully it would be enough with an assault rifle, a handgun and, of course, his favorite knife - an old memento from his childhood. It had always been a reliable asset in battles as well as in his everyday life. It was his most prized possession, yet it mostly - if not only - held bad memories and broken promises. Whispers of a life way before Citra took control over the rakyat, and Vaas stood up against her on the other side of the battlefield.

Shaking his head furiously, the Pirate Lord did his best to get rid of the sudden thoughts and memories of what once was. That was then, it wasn’t relevant anymore and it wouldn’t help him fighting his sister’s warriors when all he could think about was their childhood together. God did he need a drink…

After deciding he had wasted enough time just standing around, dreaming about the past, Vaas turned to leave the small building. If he hadn't been in a hurry earlier, he definitely was now. Time was running out on him and there was no way to tell for how long his men would be able to stand up against their enemies. He had to hurry up before more of his people lost their lives or even worse - the outpost fell into the hands of the natives.

The pirate jogged through the camp, up to the cars where his men were all getting ready to leave for the battle. Those who hadn’t already, filled the trunks with whatever things could be useful; ammo, a few extra guns, bandages. The others quickly made their way onto their cars, some sitting in the passenger seat of different vehicles while others stood up behind them to fire the mounted machine gun. Vaas himself sat down in one of the driver seats, Diminuto in the seat next to him.

“You’re not fucking women, hurry up!” Vaas shouted at his men, trying his hardest to make them get ready so that they could leave. The more he yelled, the more they hurried up and it didn’t take too long for most of them to sit down in their trucks and wait. Those who didn't finish quick enough would be left behind to run to the outpost - there wasn't any time to waste on slow people.

Standing with Carlos and the other two men, Jason watched from afar as the gates opened and closed to the camp for the cars and trucks to leave. The pirates were screaming with excitement and joy for the fight, longing for when they got to put bullets into the skulls of Rakyat men and vermin. It had been weeks since the last real battle they had fought and the men of the camp were tired and sick of just sitting around, doing nothing. Fighting was what they had spent their whole lives doing, preparing for the final battle to come - always ready for another attack. They had been sitting still for far too long.

As the last truck with pirates left the camp, Jason turned to one of the men next to him - a taller man with silky brown hair, far too clean for have being washed with the salty water from the ocean, and green strong eyes. He was about a head taller than Jason, the tallest of the pirates he had seen so far, with broad shoulders to match and an abdomen almost as muscular as Vaas’ of that he could make out. His t-shirt was white, stained kind of red with what Jason could only assume to be blood, and his pants the same as the other pirates wore. His boots were dusty, worn out, and the bandana around his forehead marked that he was a pirate, his soul as tainted as the rest of the men in their leader’s crew. His face wore a few markings of battle, including a scar on his left cheek. Not to lie, he had extraordinary features as well as a strong body - if the circumstances were different Jason might have found him attractive even. His nose was slightly crooked, suggesting it had been broken several times. The man didn't look to be from neither the island or America, yet his aura was the same of the pirates - fearful and proud.

“How long are they usually gone?” Jason asked, trying to mask his worry with ignorance. He knew deep down he was failing miserably at hiding his concern but he couldn't help himself. He really didn't want to fear for the Pirate Lord or his men yet he somehow did, deep in his heart and soul. There was something about them, something about _him_ that made Jason hope they would all come back soon - their bodies as healthy as when they had left. He should have wanted to take advantage of the situation of being left with only three pirates around him, but the worry he held for the ones who went to battle was too grave. He could barely understand his own thoughts anymore, a bad feeling as heavy as rock laid itself in the pit of his stomach.

The man shrugged, himself not really certain of how long it would take until the others were back. He had only been with the pirates for a few years, working hard to rise in ranks. Vaas had never sent out such a big group to fight at a single outpost - whatever was going on over there was as big as it was dangerous. “I don't know lad,” he said with truth in his voice and actions, his voice laced with a heavy Scottish accent. He had always hated the way he spoke, haven to grown up in a small village together with his mother and younger sister in the Highlands of Scotland. He hadn't had any contact with his family in years - not since he joined the band of pirates. Up to date, he still wondered day after day how his mother and sister were doing, knowing they still grieved in the belief of thinking that their only son and brother was dead. He felt sorry for them, almost more than he secretly felt sorry for himself, over his actions and the consequences he still refused to face.

Sort of surprised by the man’s accent Jason blinked a few times before taking a step back. It was the first pirate he had heard a pirate speaking anything but hispanic english or the spanish itself. Not really sure how to act on his own, the American turned to Carlos for answers or instructions. He wanted Vaas back safe in the camp as soon as possible, yet he knew the pirate lord would just get mad at him if Jason asked about him too many times. For the moment he could just wait patiently by Carlos’ side.

Sighing, Carlos scratched the back of his head. If he knew the other pirates right, they wouldn't be back in hours. Vaas’ men were almost as proud as their leader himself, nothing would be able to make them stand down against the Rakyat - not without their leader’s approval. The pirates hadn't lost a battle in years, Vaas had made sure they were in control on the island. The pirate Lord’s empire stood tall, even in its darkest moments. It wouldn't change now.

“Gale,” Carlos said, grasping the Scottish man’s attention. From what Jason had learned so far, Carlos wasn't a very talkative person. He got whatever Vaas wanted done but he still only talked as little as possible, as if to blend in with the others - helping his leader as much as possible yet working behind the scenes. A lot of things in the camp wouldn't be done without Carlos’ help, there was a reason the proudest of the pirates saw him as his right hand man. The only person Vaas would ever even consider leaving with his currently most prized possession was Carlos, the others he wasn't too sure about. there were only a handful of the men in his camp Vaas had given true trust - the others only followed him for the fear they held.

“Yes?” the Scottish answered, his voice still as laced with the accent as ever. His looks and voice were the complete mixture of what one could only describe as the perfect Scotsman. He was the kind of man women dreamed about, fantasized about when they thought of a prince. The way he moved, the way he spoke… so much pride glowing through his appearance and walk. Nothing could stop him, he was a knight working for the drug lord, a king in his own empire.

“We’re going hunting. Snow White needs to learn how to use a gun,” Carlos continued, certain their boss would be more than pleased with them when his “secret weapon” knew how to use firearms. Nothing could go wrong either. They’d give the American a small handgun, go hunt some boars and return with fresh meat to supply the whole camp for at least three days. As long as nothing happened while they were gone, everything would go smoothly. But just in case it didn't, James would stay behind to keep an eye on the supplies and the camp.

Confused, Jason looked between the pirates standing around him. All of them were taller or the same height as Jason, if only by an inch or so. All had strong builds, muscles covering every inch of their bodies from what Jason could see beneath their thin t-shirts and wifebeaters. They didn't seem as strong nor threatening as Vaas but were still no doubt at least half as dangerous as the pirate leader himself. It wouldn't surprise Jason if each of them had a kill count of plus twenty people. Then again, most people on The Rook Islands seemed to have killed that many people already, if not more.

James sighed slightly, knowing that he would be the one to stay back and guard the camp. He wasn’t sure if the others didn’t trust him or if they maybe trusted him _too much,_ but he was always the one to end up staying. There hadn’t been a single incident since he became the watch but something told the pirate it was more luck and actual skill. James wasn’t really a very good hunter to start with so maybe just staying quiet and accept his position as guard was for the best. An angry Vaas meant most people in the camp would have hellish lives - all thanks to one pirate who didn’t like his job. No, staying quiet was for the best.

James looked a lot like most Americans he was used to in California, yet some features made him stand out in the crowd of “normal” Americans. The pirate’s hair was shaggy black, the ends split as if he hadn’t had a haircut in months. His eyes were deep brown, pools of liquid chocolate to go with his slightly tanned skin - reminding Jason of a surfer. He was about as tall as Carlos and his abdomen almost the same shape, indicating they had both went through hellish training under Vaas’ command - making them excellently fit soldiers.

“Get ready Princess,” Gale said, grinning at Jason as if to reassure the slightly shorter man that it was him he was talking to. Jason had been chosen by the Pirate leader, if it was to be his “bride” or fellow warrior - no one really knew. But until the point when it wasn’t needed anymore, the pirates would protect the American with their lives, until their final breaths.


End file.
